Blacked Out
by Tk Queen of rants
Summary: [AU]“You’ve never told me how this happened” “That’s a long story...” “All good stories are” In a world where fighting is a way of life, can a group of unlikely antagonists cast away their evil deeds...or will they spend the rest of their lives condemned?
1. Forbidden visit

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_The prince will have to make a choice, _

_and the time of his decision is soon,_

_this decision will effect his people,_

_and others..._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter one

* * *

_((Enter, the demon prince))_

The demon prince Yami sat a a distant table and watched as hundreds of formally dressed mortals walked around the large hall and pretended to be interested in what other people had to say. The prince had black spiky hair with deep red-purple tips and blonde streaks, accompanied by blonde bangs. He was slightly shorter than average, but that wasn't very noticeable, and nobody dared to mention it anyway, he was after all, royalty. The prince's eyes were blood red, he was famous for his malicious eyes.

Yami currently sat alone, his bodyguards were being 'discrete' which meant that they were standing quite a distance away from him, but close enough for them to keep an eye on him.

It was forbidden for a demon to be in the mortal realm, that didn't stop most of them however, and prince Yami was no exception. He was supposed to be meeting with some other demons, to privately discuss matters regarding the angel's proposal of a 'peace treaty'. Which would mean there would be no more fighting, no more angel invasions, but furthermore, there would be no more need for the demon forces.

This was a troubling thought for most, as they were what most young demons aspired to join. The demon forces were the demon military, their army; and a strong one at that, and with the demon's new found ability to fly, they would be virtually unstoppable.

Since the beginning of time demons had been put at a disadvantage, angels had been granted wings that enabled them to fly, demons however, had had no such luck. That was how the angels had eluded them for so long, without the ability to fly, demons could only defend themselves, they couldn't attack the enemy. This being because the enemy based themselves in the sky, and one has to fly to get there.

But recently - in the last century or so - demons had uncovered the secrets of the angel's ability to fly, so now not only were the demon forces strong, but they could fly. Making for an almost unstoppable attack should they choose to make an assault on the angels territory.

However now the angels have come out of the blue and said that they don't wish to fight the demons anymore, they wish for both races to be at peace. Is that even possible? When angels are happy demons are not, and vice versa.

The final decision was left up to the ruler of the demons, the mother of the prince. However the prince also had a very significant say in what happened, and he had been asked to attend the meeting on his mother's behalf and listen to all pros and cons on the topic of the angel's 'peace treaty'.

So that's where the prince of the underworld currently found himself, waiting for the rest of the demon jury to arrive, and hopefully pass his judgment on the whole ordeal.

Out of the corner of his eye the young (by demon standards) ruler-to-be spotted one of his bodyguards becoming slightly wary, this usually meant the arrival of the warlord. It was strange, the warlord was a quite a few years older than the prince (possibly centuries, but no one was game enough to ask), however the pair seemed to be almost equally matched in power, and both considered the other a rival. Maybe this is what made the prince's bodyguards wary around the warlord, maybe not.

The warlord soon came into view, he was not easily mistaken. Although he was wearing human formal clothes, like the prince, his cold blue eyes, short chocolate brown hair and his abnormally tall height made him hard to miss.

The warlord took a seat opposite the prince, both eying the other suspiciously, the prince's bodyguards were ready to strike at any attack the warlord might - or might not-make. However neither male had come to fight a pointless battle, they were here on business.

"Prince," the warlord bowed his head respectively.

"Warlord," Yami said and mimicked the warlord's tone and gestures, gaining endless satisfaction from it.

"Such childish games you play," the warlord said in a mocking tone, he smirked but gave the demon prince time to recover.

"Would you prefer all demons to be more serious like yourself, Kaiba?" Yami asked, also in a mocking tone.

The argument of opinions came to a stop as the second influential figure arrived. She seemed to appear out of nowhere, although this was normal for her. She was a seer, and the lead strategist in the war, she knew of majority of the attacks the angels would make, and exactly how to defend against them.

She was currently wearing a long tan sleeveless dress, similar to what many humans in the room were wearing, with her long black hair sitting neatly behind her. She was Isis, named after the ancient Egyptian goddess,not that anyone really knew why.

"I believe we are almost ready to begin," Isis stated and took a seat.

"The only person left to come is the demon queen," Yami said off-handedly, he didn't really know her all that well, although it was said that she was cold and ruthless, almost like the warlord.

In demon monarchy the demon queen was not necessarily the mother of the prince, she was the strongest female demon to date. Another female demon was allowed to challenge the demon queen, and should the challenger come out victorious, then she was awarded the title, 'Demon Queen'. The demon queen was expected to attend all important meetings, and was often invited to gala events as part of the royal party.

"She will not be joining us tonight," Isis commented in a smooth and fluent tone.

"What could possibly be more important than deciding the future of her people?" Kaiba snapped, he didn't really like the demon queen, and usually left the room when she entered, due mostly to his lack of tolerance.

"She will formally apologize tomorrow, however she is currently busy elsewhere defending her title," Isis said calmly, basically what the seer had said was that some other female demon had showed up and wanted to rip the demon queen to shreds.

Judging by the way Isis spoke of the situation, Yami guessed that the demon queen hadn't told Isis any of this and that Isis had foreseen it, which wasn't uncommon.

"Then I presume that we can begin?" the demon prince inquired.

"Not quite yet," Isis replied, "another warrior will be sent in her place, on behalf of the demon forces,"

"Might I inquire as to who?" Kaiba asked, in his most business-like tone.

"He has arrived, and should be with us shortly," Isis said completely ignoring the warlord's question.

Sure enough in a matter of moments, a man of average height with silver-white hair and deep brown, almost black, eyes appeared. His skin was tanned and he bore a large scar running close to his eye on his right cheek, with two smaller scars intersecting the first further away from his eye. He was wearing a similar attire to both the prince and the warlord, however his harsh appearance had earned him a few strange looks from the mortals, not that it bothered him particularly.

"Now my prince, we can begin," Isis said, smiling calmly, it was probably easier for her to keep calm around the new arrival than for the other two accompanying her. "Bakura, if you would be so kind as to take a seat, we can start,"

Surprisingly the white haired male sat down, very gracefully considering, he had a distinctly disinterested expression firmly in place. Yami studied his expression for a moment, the prince couldn't really blame him, although, he would never admit that he too found these tiresome meetings somewhat boring.

Demon prince Yami was unsure of how long the white haired demon would tolerate the meeting, he had a reputation for being restless, he also had a reputation for turning on his men for his own gain. Bakura was a legendary warrior among demons, parents told their children stories of the great Bakura who - it was rumored - convinced an angel general that he wished to join their ranks, then slaughtered him and his men mercilessly.

The white haired fiend had been around for quite a while, no one really knew how old he was, he had been around since what seemed to be the dawning of time. But the demon prince doubted that he was among a group of demons called the first. As the name suggests, the first were the first demons to actually differentiate themselves from angels, for a long time demons were just called angels who turned from their people, but the first established the demon people as different from the angels.

"Very well, let us begin, I believe the warlord should inform us all of the complications and advantages the peace treaty will bring," Isis finished and all eyes darted to the warlord, who didn't hesitate for a moment.

"The peace treaty would mean that no more fighting would occur between angles and demons, however fighting has been a central part of demon life since the dawn of time, to stop it may cause confusion and rebellions among the demon forces, and the demon people for that matter," Kaiba finished, he was used to giving this speech, he had said this same speech what felt like a hundred times.

"My seers and I have foreseen no more angel attacks, however it may be possible for them to block any visions of their attacks from reaching us, although we are unsure of how they could do this," Isis bowed her head respectively at the end of her statement.

"I have been told by the captain of the guard that we barely have enough guards to guard the palace and all prime targets for angel attacks," Yami added, he had actually overheard that statement, but it sounded much better if he said he had been told.

"It would be in our best interests to speak with the leader of the angels personally, as they have left much to question in their proposed peace treaty," Kaiba said, it looked as though a decision had been made when an unexpected, and surprisingly plausable, point was made by the forth party,

"True, but would the leader of the angels actually want to speak with those who have been their enemies since the dawn of time, I can't help but get the impression that they are simply proposing a peace treaty to get us off their backs and out of their way, so they can influence the mortal realm however they wish," Bakura finished, this was not the first time he had been a part of an important meeting, he had learned from past experiences how to get his message across.

"I understand where you are coming from Bakura, but I am inclined to disagree, our seers would be able to detect something like that-" Isis was about to continue when Bakura interrupted again.

"You said before that it could be possible for the angels to block things from your seers," Bakura seemed to go back into his disinterested state after making his point.

"Yes, but we are unsure of any possible methods they could use, we don't know for a fact that that is what the angels are doing," Isis argued.

"But we don't know for a fact that they aren't doing that," Bakura continued to argue his point, he was never one to back down from a challenge.

"I believe Isis is trying to stress the fact that there is no actual proof that the angels are plotting against us, and the mortal justice system states that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty," Yami thanked his endless lessons about politics and lectures on the justice systems of both demons and humans.

"Yes, but the demon justice system states that the defendant is guilty until proven innocent," Bakura smirked, humans were stupid and trusting, everything he was not.

"Angels do not work by our justice system," Yami continued arguing.

"And we should not work by theirs!" Bakura shouted, drawing a few unwanted stares, but nothing that might blow their cover. There was a short pause before the brunette warlord spoke up, effectively moving the debate forwards.

"I believe that the treaty would not go down too well with the people, so as warlord I am opposed to the treaty," Kaiba was the first to make his decision.

"As lead strategist it is my opinion that the treaty could work to our advantage, I believe that the treaty should go ahead," Isis passed her judgment, looking calm and collected, as per usual.

"I believe I have already made my position against the treaty clear," Bakura was the next to give his judgment.

Now Yami was left in a difficult position, if he disagreed with the treaty then the chances of it going ahead were slim to none, but if he agreed with it then there would be a tie in the votes. He had the reigning vote here however, so if he decided that the treaty would go ahead, chances were it would go ahead.

"I understand that both arguments are very strong," at this remark the demon prince could hear Bakura snort, but he kept going, "I am inclined to place my support behind the treaty, however I understand the negative repercussions that it could have on the demon race, so it is my wish to see the treaty go ahead, but I would like to enact warlord Kaiba's plan to actually arrange a meeting with the angels to discuss the finner details of the treaty,"

"With all do respect I am in favor of ending this meeting and getting back to our own realm," Isis stated and with that the quartet, plus the prince's bodyguards left the crowded space.

The group of demons moved quickly and quietly around to the back of the hall and made sure no one was looking before tearing open a portal back to their own world. The warlord was the first to enter, he had work that needed finishing, the demon prince soon followed him along with his bodyguards, which left the lead strategist and the legendary warrior.

"Where was the demon queen? She shouldn't have taken that long, the opponent I foresaw was weak and overly confident, why did she not come?" Isis questioned, Bakura shrugged disinterestedly.

"Maybe she was overly confident as well and actually got beaten," Bakura spat sarcastically, he really didn't care what happened to the demon queen, it was of no importance to him whether she won or lost.

"I doubt it," Isis dropped her calm and collected face, she now showed just how impatient and annoyed she was, "the demon queen should have finished the challenger off within minutes and come to the meeting, where was she?"

"Busy?" Bakura offered, again taking a sarcastic tone.

"Doing what?" Isis spat, this whole situation was beginning to irritate her, and Bakura wasn't helping that one bit.

"Doing what ever it is that demon queens do," Bakura rolled his eyes and stepped through the portal leaving Isis to her musings.

'She should have come, but she didn't, why not? I'm beginning to wonder...' Isisthought to herself, but quickly stepped through the dark portal when it began to close.

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

* * *

TK: well, I'm not sure, tell me what you all think... it isn't formatted the way I wanted it to be,ff . net saw to that -.-;; ah well... 

SK: R&R no flames

TK: Before I disapear I'd like to ask anyone who reads to tell me what you think, I may/_maynot_ continue this fic, so your opinion would be greatly appreciated! Later!


	2. The Empress' judgement

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_The empress will make her decision,_

_Although it's outcome may not be desirable,_

_Many lives hang in the balance,_

_her oldest son included._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter two

* * *

_((Who is he?))_

It was dark, very dark, it took a moment for Yami's eyes to adjust to the darkness that surrounded and threatened to engulf him. The prince looked around hoping to see something, anything, that would help him get out of this eternal darkness.

Again and again Yami's eyes glanced over his surroundings, and as if responding to his wishes, he finally spotted a figure standing alone against the darkness. Although he didn't know who the figure was, or what they wanted, the prince began walking towards them, he would never find out unless he actually spoke to them.

As he got closer, Yami could see the vague outlines of his features, the man was at least a century older than him, and had brilliant crimson eyes. But what really caught the young prince's attention was this person's hair, it was identical to his in every possible way.

Which could only mean one thing, there was only one man with a physical appearance that resembled Yami's so closely, his father.

The prince broke out into a run and began speeding towards his father, but the closer he got the further away his father seemed to be, the younger party sped up his pace.However his attempts were fruitless, the young demon was unable to reacher his father despite his best efforts.

The next events to occur were all blurred to Yami's vision, but there was no doubt in his mind that what he saw actually happened.

It was almost as if time had slowed itself down, the prince could only watch helplessly as his father's eyes widened in shock, and in pain. The older demon fell forward and blood began seeping through his clothes around the dagger that was implanted in his back.

The young prince tried to reach out for his father, he tried to see if he was alright, although judging by the amount of blood which was now spilling onto the colorless floor, he was not. Again Yami felt like he was drifting further away from his father...

"Yami,"

"..."

"Yami!"

"..."

"YAMI!"

"Huh?"

"GET UP!"

"Okay, okay," the demon prince groggily opened his eyes to find a pair of violet ones staring contently back at his. Only one being could be so content while annoying him ever so much.

"Why are you in here Mimi?" Yami asked irritably, Mimi wasn't his sister's real name, but when she was younger she wasn't able to say her full name properly, so she used to call herself Mimi.

"Mama said that I could wake you up if you were still asleep," the young girl looked rather proud of herself, she had violet eyes like their mother, blond bangs and a few blond streaks like her brother, but instead of having red-purple highlights at the ends her hair was all black, and was currently in two plaits, each one fell over the corresponding shoulder.

"Why?" Yami still wasn't catching on to why he had to be awake so early.

"Don't you remember? Today Mama is going to pass her judgment on the peace treaty with the angels, I hope she says no!" Mimi shouted excitedly, for a young demon she was very quick on the uptake, she knew exactly what was going on.

"Right," Yamimutteredand got out of bed, he glanced back at his black satin sheets and considered straightening them, but figured that the maids would do it for him.

The demon prince was about to turn around and tell Mimi to leave, but by the time he had turned around it had become quite apparent that Yami's afore mentioned sister had already taken off.

So left with nothing else to do the young prince got dressed in his usual attire, which consisted of a skin-tight black leather top and black leather pants, with a few studded belts and a chocker which looked more like a belt than something that should be put around his neck. He then made sure his hair wasn't sitting at too odd of an angle, and followed his sister, who was already long gone.

When he entered the main hall the first thing he noticed was the number of demons that had showed up, it looked as though every commander in the demon forces had come to see his mother's judgment. The prince walked up a short flight of stairs and took his seat to his mother's left.

"Did Mimi wake you up?" his mother asked quietly.

"Yes," Yami answered, not wanting to make a big scene.

"Good," was all his mother said, she was busy making a quick count of heads to see if everyone was here.

Yami decided to do the same as his mother, he quickly scouted the premises with his eyes and made an important discovery:

The warlord was there, the captain of the guard was there, the lead strategist was there, the head of the demon forces was there, the legendary warrior Bakura was there, the demon queen was not there.

The prince quickly scanned over the hall again to make sure he hadn't missed her, but he came up with the same results as the first time, no sign of the demon queen.

"The demon queen isn't here," Yami commented to his mother.

"I know, if she does not get here soon we will have to start without her," The ruler of the demons said calmly, but with a hint of impatience.

"Hmm," Yami nodded his agreement and continued watching the hall doors for any sign of movement.

A few moments passed before the large wooden doors opened, a tan skinned figure walked through them, he was wearing a deep purple cloak, however there were signs of beige pants underneath the large flowing garment.

The entire hall was silent and the only thing that could be heard was this person's footsteps echoing throughout the large room, he had platinum blond hair that stood up at odd angles, and reminded most people present of the prince's hair. This stranger had hollow looking purple eyes and two small black lines, one under each eye.

When he got to the head of the room where the mother of the prince and her two children were seated he bowed respectfully.

"The demon queen wishes to apologize for her absence at last nights meeting, and she wishes me to inform you that she will be absent for todays judgment, much to her displeasure," the figure finished. It was no surprise that he came bearing news of the demon queen, the deep purple cloak meant that he was part of the demon queen's special forces.

"Very well, might I inquire as to her reason for not being present," the mother of the prince asked.

"She is busy elsewhere defending her title," the bodyguard answered, "she also asked that I pass her vote on the peace treaty on to you," the tanned male paused for a moment, "the demon queen wishes it to be known that she is against the peace treaty,"

"Thank you for passing on that message, tell the demon queen that her apology is accepted," the mother of the prince finished.

The bodyguard bowed respectfully and left the royal party's presence. The soft murmur in the large stone hall began to mount in volume again until Yami's mother rose from her seat.

She was wearing a long flowing black dress, it wasn't a hugely elaborate dress, and it resembled a black version of what humans called a 'wedding dress'. It was sleeveless and fitted close to her skin until it reached her hips, there the material changed and it flared out slightly, finishing in a long train.

The mother of the prince, who was often referred to as 'the empress', had her long black hair pulled loosely into a large bun which had a black satin ribbon that matched the upper half of her dress holding it in place. The empress also had violet eyes, her eyes were different to her oldest and only son's.

Her eyes didn't bare the same malice and lust for blood that his did, her eyes were much more threatening. The mother of the prince's eyes demanded respect, they were eyes that could not be ignored, they held much wisdom and proved to only enhance the empress's already very charismatic aura.

Perhaps this was why so many demons respected her decisions, many demons claim that even if she wasn't royalty they would still listen to her words of infinite wisdom and herknowing decisions. Perhaps they only showed her the amount of respect they didwas as charismatic as she was the empress was known to be a ruthless warrior, like her late husband, the demon king.

Though it didn't matter terribly for which reason a demon chose to abide by the mother of the prince's decisions, the fact was that she was the leader of the demons, and any demon who didn't obey her commands faced almost certain death.

The second the empress demon rose from her seat the entire hall fell quiet, the absolute silence seemed to last for an eternity, but actually only lasted for a few fleeting seconds.

"Introducing her Highness, the empress, and her two children prince Yami, and the young princess Mytsereu," the demon who announced this took his seat and the rest of the present demons followed suit.

"My people, as all of you most probably already know, the angels are proposing a peace treaty, they wish for this ongoing senseless fighting to come to a stop," after speaking many of the soldiers present began shouting profanities, however they were not directed at the empress, they were directed at the angels.

"I understand that many of you are opposed to this alliance of sorts," the empress paused again and listened as her people began cheering, this was how the people usually reacted to something they believed was good.

"You have all been summoned here to witness the final judgment," this statement received a mixed response.

"I myself am opposed to the treaty," a huge cheer caused the empress to pause momentarily, "however I must make a judgment that is best for my children," in saying 'her children' the empress was referring to all who were present, not just her biological children.

"At the pre-judgment meeting held last night I believe that most of the votes were against the treaty, however a wise plan was constructed by those present," the empress continued "they proposed that we arrange to meet with the leader of the angels to discus the finer details of the treaty,"

As diplomatic as the empress was she knew that her people, being the demons, weren't going to be satisfied with that answer alone. Demons were natural born fighters, they had been for many centuries, it could only be expected that they would wish to go to war.

"Should these plans fall through the war will continue immediately, beginning with a full offensive assault from our warriors!" the empress watched her people with a knowing smile as most of them stood from their chairs and shouted their approval.

* * *

_((This could be interesting...))_

The warlord stalked down a corridor of the castle in which he dwelt, along with the royal family, and massaged his temples, today's judgment had gone well, however the empress had made a potentially dangerous decision. It was true that her decision had pleased the people, but it would do nothing towards stopping the war.

Truth be told the warlord had been silently praising the empress's decision, it had combined both views on the treaty, and he could have expected no less of her, but now if no agreement was made on the treaty, then the demons forces would attack straight away, whether they were told to or not.

Seto Kaiba was a warlord renowned for his offensive strategies, however as of late there hadn't been many occasions where he was able to put his offensive talents into practice, for the last century things had been quiet, many of the civil wars among different demon clans had died down and an absolute demonic monarch had been established.

All of the smaller monarchs were related to the original bloodline, some more closely than others. But once all of the small clans decided that fighting each other was useless and that they should fight the angels, the next big debate arrived: who should lead the demon people?

It was Yami's father, Akunamukanon, who had risen to the challenge, the demon people flocked to his side, Akunamukanon was a born leader, he was also the closest descendant from the original royal line to date. With these things put together the people worshiped him like a god, then it was announced that Akunamukanon would marry the well esteemed strategist and warrior Masika, he managed to gain even more popularity among the demon race.

It got to a point where fighting Akunamukanon was like fighting a pack of wolves, if you attacked one unit others would defend it, if you attacked either Akunamukanon or one of his advisers, then the other units would defend them. The demon king along with his closest advisers lead his people to one victory after another.

Eventually Akunamukanon was established as the reigning king of the demons, unfortunately his reign was cut short after one decade, he was assassinated by a group of unknowns. Many investigations had been conducted and all came back with the same results, no traces of the king's assailants were found other than the dagger that had been lodged in his back.

A group of demons had taken the dagger to a mortal research facility and found traces of poison on the tip of the dagger, so it appeared that the king had been poisoned. The demon people mourned over the loss of their beloved king but his wife picked up the slack, she had been the one to send an invitation to the demon queen to join the demon forces, and join the forces she did.

The demon queen also had her own special elite forces, consisting of her body guards and a select few warriors who measured up to her standards.

The warlord was snapped out of his musings by a loud crash, coming from his study, then a murmur of voices was heard, the warlord moved silently to the door, he opened it slightly to reveal the two people he wanted to speak to the least right now, other than the demon queen herself.

"Warlord Kaiba," the first said in what could be considered a mock polite tone, he bowed respectfully as did the second figure with him.

Both figures were wearing the deep purple robes of the demon queen's elite forces and after they removed their hoods they appeared to be twins, or something close to it.

The first one Kaiba recognized from the judgment earlier that morning, he had delivered the demon queen's vote, the second appeared to be almost his double, except his hair seemed less unruly and he was wearing a pair of hanging gold earrings.

"What do you two want?" Kaiba snapped, he had more important things to do other than talk to nitwits.

"What? Don't you want to talk to us?" the demon from the judgment ceremony said, attempting to sound hurt.

"No, no I don't want to talk to you two, you in particular Ishtar Marik," Kaiba said flatly and sat down at his desk.

"You know, I get the feeling you don't enjoy our visits..." the second demon trailed off.

"I wonder how you came to that conclusion Ishtar Malik," Kaiba said coldly, he began flicking through some of his previously devised offensive strategies.

"It was quite simply actually," Malik continued baiting the warlord, it was one of his favorite pass-times.

"You shouldn't go around baiting people Malik," the said demon's partner in crime spoke solemnly with only one purpose, to irritate the warlord beyond belief.

And it worked.

"Why are you two here!" Kaiba half shouted.

"We're here to deliver a message from the demon queen," Malik said quite professionally.

"I'm really not in the mood to hear what she has to say," warlord Kaiba spoke disinterestedly, and disrespectfully of the demon queen, considering.

"Actually I think you'll like this," Marik said eagerly, sometimes Kaiba wondered if he really was as old as he claimed to be.

"Really? Impress me," Kaiba decided to give them two minutes, if they hadn't caught his interest by then, he would personally remove them from his presence.

"It's about the prince's father, Akunamukanon, and the prince, Yami," Malik began, he paused for a split second, but that time was all Marik needed to add his own two cents of the matter.

"Perhaps we should be calling him Atemu, that is his real name after all,"

Kaiba stopped his work, _now_ he was interested.

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

* * *

Reviews: 

Sakura Kamitsu- Looks like I am continuing, and big hug for you too!

mechante fille- I'm not a huge fan of Yaoi, I did have a few pairings in mind however, hehe, not that I'm going to say who!

Kayrana-you'll just have to keep reading and find out who the leader is! And yeah, I know about the whole Tea/Anzu scene, but I'll probably be calling her Anzu in this fic.

Malikztiah- more? Well here it is!

* * *

TK: Again, aiming for five reviews, I probably won't post if I don't get at least four... 

SK: R&R no flames!

TK: Later!


	3. Isis' prophecy

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind, _

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_The time is fast approaching when no more shall fight,_

_no more shall suffer, no more shall die,_

_however there are those who aren't loyal,_

_and it is Isis's turn to pass judgment._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter three

* * *

_((an angel?...))_

Warlord Kaiba sat at his desk.

Warlord Kaiba was leaning on his desk.

A more appropriate description of the scene would be warlord Kaiba using his desk to hold himself up after shouting 'that can't be!' and almost passing out.

"It's true, every last word," Ishtar Malik said, after hearing the story for the first time he and Marik had almost passed out as well, so the warlord's reaction hadn't really come as that much of a shock.

"I don't understand how this could have happened, the demon forces have always been careful about those kind of things, and now you're telling me that the prince..." Kaiba Seto trailed off for lack of better words.

"The demon queen herself told us," usually a demon saying that the demon queen herself told them was enough to silence an entire hall of shouting warriors, but saying it around the warlord meant nothing, seeing as he had zero respect for the queen of demons.

"How did that wrench find out about this, it's not something the forces would let slip," Kaiba snapped, he knew full well that the forces were very secretive, and this was definitely something that the forces would want to keep a secret.

"You should be thanking her, now you have the exact information you need to blackmail the empress into making you the crown prince," Malik said smugly, it was a little known fact that warlord was a distant relative of the royal family, and it was also a little known fact that he didn't like the prince.

"Why would she send you to give me this sort of information?" Kaiba was becoming more suspicious of this entire situation.

"The demon queen wants to see the prince dethroned as much as you do, if you two were to work together you could take over the entire demon race," Malik said cautiously, as one would around the warlord.

"How does that put you at an advantage?" really what Kaiba was saying here is 'what's in it for you' but after years holding the position of warlord, one learns how to say these things tactfully.

"We are merely loyal followers of the demon queen, we wish to see her succeed," Malik said in response.

"And she has promised us more fighting if we work hard," Marik added absentmindedly. This may sound strange, but in actual fact demons valued fighting, and took every chance they could to train, so being promised more fighting was really something a demon looked forward to, much like a young human child eagerly awaiting Christmas.

"How did she find out?" the warlord had been so wrapped in the whole situation that he'd forgotten the first question that had arisen.

"The demon queen has many sources, she also personally knew the demon king's brother Akunadin, and fought on his behalf on many occasions," Malik began, knowing that his partner in crime would continue for him, and continue he did.

"And it is a known fact that Akunamukanon and Akunadin were never the closest of brothers, and eventually they ended up fighting each other," it was Marik's turn to pause as Malik continued the story from his perspective.

"This, I believe, is the reason for the rivalry between you and the demon queen," Malik was probably the better speaker out of the demonic duo, however Marik was more often than not the one sent to run errands.

"Seeing as you were Akunamukanon's strongest warrior and she was Akunadin's strongest warrior, it would not be unheard of to make such an assumption," Marik sounded quite professional whilst speaking, however Kaiba was not fooled, he knew the tan skinned demon better than that.

"Are you suggesting that my equal is a woman?" it didn't matter what culture- -or race- -you were talking about, men always managed to make pointed remarks about women. And demons were no exception.

It had been proven time and time again that female demons were no weaker than their male counter parts, however they were probably more rational. Male demons were known to jump into a battle with not a second thought towards strategy or anything of the likes, female demons were much more thoughtful, so to speak. They tended to think things through before jumping into the middle.

However a pregnant female demon was a force to be reckoned with, during pregnancy female demons became ruthless, taking any given opportunity to tear another demon's head off. In times gone by this had been a vital adaptation, allowing the species to continue to exist. And although it was no longer necessary the feminine side of the demon race still bore this evolutionary trade mark.

"Not really, Marik was merely stating that you two aren't the best of friends, however perhaps you would consider her more of a challenge if she were pregnant?" Malik spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice, often it was said that trying to talk to a pregnant demon was like trying to talk to a brick wall that was about to fall on top of you.

The warlord eyed Malik for a moment, considering his options but choosing against doing anything he may - or may not - regret later.

"Fine," Kaiba paused for a moment, he took that time to glance over the work which was pilled up on his desk, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, I have work to do," the warlord sat down at his desk and began working.

"Very well, but to remember what we told you, you're superior is an angel," Malik said mockingly, Marik smirked and gave a heart felt cackle.

Kaiba stood up and was about to abuse the demonic duo when he realized that they had taken their leave, 'odd...'

The warlord was about to go back to work when he heard a knock at his door, he looked up to find a woman with wavy blond hair and dazzling violet eyes. For a court woman she wore an extremely short mini skirt and a corset, both of which were black, only one female demon in the entire palace would wear such suggestive clothing and get away with it.

"What do you want Kujaku Mai?" Kaiba asked coldly, this was another woman who really annoyed him.

"You don't actually believe them do you?" she asked, flicking a strand of blond hair out of her eyes.

"Why should I not?" the warlord asked provocatively, Kujaku Mai was a close relative of the royal party, her mother was the empress's sister, making the empress her aunt.

"Prince Yami can't be, it's impossible... and the people- if they find out," Mai had to stop herself from stuttering, Yami was her cousin, and what the demon queen's warriors said couldn't have been true. However Kaiba decided that he should take a different approach when talking to the blond demon, simply because it would annoy her more.

"It is very unlady-like to eavesdrop on important discussions," Kaiba said with amusement.

"I wasn't eavesdropping and it wasn't an important discussion, it was you and two morons bitching about the crown prince," Mai spat, rather disrespectfully, but she could get away with it, just once.

"Kujaku Mai, I do appreciate your visit, but I've got work to do," Kaiba's voice was draped in a thick layer of sarcasm.

"Do you really believe them?" Mai asked uncertainly.

A moment of silence passed between the two dignified individuals, each contemplating the effect this accusation would have on them.

Kaiba's ego would be the most injured part of him, having to serve under the prince was bad enough, but now that this element had been added, it almost made him wish Akunadin had won the war. It was the same scene with Mai, her pride would be damaged more than her physical being, Yami was her cousin, if what the hooded demon's had said was true then Mai was related to...

Kaiba looked up from his work one final time, "what reason do I have to doubt them?"

"They're part of the demon queen's special forces, that should be reason enough," Mai said calmly then exited the room with the proper grace expected of a noble woman.

Kaiba sat silently, he considered contemplating what Ishtar Malik and Ishtar Marik had said, then he considered contemplating what Kujaku Mai had said. In the end he decided his work was more important than anything else right now.

"Why is it that for every question women answer they create another in the original question's place?"

* * *

_((a prophecy? Why...))_

"It is my professional opinion that a representative should be sent to the angel's domain to organize the meeting,"

"It is my professional opinion that you should go and shove your professional opinion where it fits!"

"You should not be so crude with words,"

"And you should not be so boring," Bakura sighed in a mock exasperated fashion and succeeded in gaining a warning glare from Isis.

This had been how the attempt to decide how to arrange a meeting with the angels had been going so far, Bakura had something to say about every one of Isis's ideas. Most of the time it was 'shove it where it fits' or 'are you trying to be constructive or destructive?'.

However for Isis, Bakura's latest comment was the final straw.

"Fine then! You come up with a safer plan!" Isis snapped, yet through it all she still managed to keep a relatively calm outward appearance, even though it was obvious she was fuming.

"In none of your plans did you suggest the royal family themselves go, so I propose that we send the prince along with his body guards, the demon queen, her special forces and any one else who wishes to tag along," Bakura signaled his finish by leaning back in his chair and looking back at Isis.

"By doing that we would be putting the royal party in huge amounts of danger," Isis said quickly but smoothly.

"Exactly, if the angels are serious about the peace treaty they won't attack, but if they aren't, then they'll try and tear the prince's head off," Bakura said in reply, he wasn't a huge fan of the prince, or his father.

"That's my point Bakura, if the angels aren't serious about the peace treaty, then they will attack the heir to the throne, and that will place the entire demon race in danger," Isis was having difficulty seeing where the legendary warrior was attempting to go with this argument.

"Then we will see if the demon queen truly is the strongest of all female demons, and we will find out of the prince lives up to his father's name," Bakura concluded and flicked a loose white strand of hair out of his face.

"I do not approve of the recklessness of your plan Bakura, however from what I have foreseen it will be used, so far be it from me to stop you," Isis straightened her sleeveless black dress and left the room

Bakura smirked, he loved it when he was right.

The legendary warrior sat in silence for a few moments, he enjoyed the few times he was allowed to spend without interruptions. Usually he would go to the training courts, demons tended to clear out when they saw him enter, he was the demon equivalent of the boogie man, everyone told stories about him to scare their children, yet no one had any proof to show that the stories were true.

The white haired fiend had no where better to be so he continued to indulge in the silence that currently surrounded him.

He spent the time revising his current situation, he had things pretty easy at the moment. The empress wasn't after his head, neither was the prince or the warlord, he wasn't quite sure about Isis, but she wasn't a huge threat anyway.

It was hard to tell if you were in the demon queen's bad books or her worse books, but either way, she didn't pose a huge threat either. As long as he stayed in favor with most of the influential courtiers then it didn't matter what she thought, and with Kaiba Seto currently siding with him he really didn't care.

It was a well known fact that the demon queen and the warlord didn't get along too well. During the war Kaiba had been Akunamukanon's champion- -his strongest warrior- -and the demon queen had been Akunadin's champion, which pitted the two against each other in battle on a regular basis.

However when it seemed that Akunadin's forces were winning the demon queen disappeared from sight, she was assumed dead. Then Akunamukanon saw a weakness and attacked, causing Akunadin to surrender. Akunamukanon had always been more popular with the people, but somehow his younger brother, Akunadin, had managed to persuade demons to join his forces, the demon queen had been among the persuaded.

It was understandable why some of the female warriors joined him, he had a handsome face which wasn't easily forgotten. Even though he was younger Akunadin had shown he had the makingsof a great strategist, he saw potential in warriors whom others called pathetic, it was even rumored that he was the one that trained the demon queen.

But that was just a rumor.

And Bakura dismissed it as just that, a rumor. However another 'rumor' he had heard was that the demon queen had been romantically involved with Akunadin. Now, as much as the legendary warrior thought that rumors were a load of rubbish, this one had the potential to bear some truth in it. In public the demon queen could always be seen standing to Akunadin's right, she served as his full time bodyguard, the white haired fiend could think of a few different and rather creative meanings for the word 'bodyguard' but preferred not to dwell on them.

"Bakura?" a quiet whisper came from the door, the legendary warrior turned around and was quite surprised to find Isis standing there.

"What now?" Bakura snapped, he was not in the mood to discuss more options on the peace treaty, he was rather sick of hearing about it.

"Has the demon queen been here?" Isis swiftly entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"No, why is it important?" the white haired warrior questioned, Isis had been acting a little out of character lately, she was always asking where the demon queen was.

"How could my predictions about her be so wrong!" Isis half shouted in annoyance.

"I don't know, maybe you're losing your touch," Bakura mocked in a disrespectful and sarcastic tone.

"I'm serious! For months now everything I have predicted about her is wrong! She is somehow defying destiny!" the strategist dropped down into her former chair in a most unceremonial manner.

"Is it not possible that you're just not as good as you used to be?" Bakura again tried his original approach, he really didn't care about Isis's little problems, the quicker he annoyed her and she left, the better.

"That is possible, but it is not what is happening here, other seers foresaw the exact same things that I did, and somehow all of the seers were wrong," Isis shook her head irritably, "I fear her intentions are not the best,"

"What do you mean by 'her intentions are not the best'," Bakura was curious now, was the strategist suggesting that the demon queen was not faithful to the royal family?

"I mean she may wish harm to come to the crown prince, perhaps to avenge Akunadin, perhaps in an attempt to seize power for herself, I am not sure, however, I can say for certain that something is definitely not as it should be," Isis straightened her dress, it was a popular design as of current, it had thin strap-like sleeves and was close fitting, naturally it was black.

"So the demon queen may not be a loyal as the public thinks," this idea got Bakura thinking.

"Yes, I do fear so," Isis said in a straight tone.

"Is it possible that she could be allied with the angels?" Bakura didn't usually ask questions, but he was willing to make an exception here.

"Yes, anything is possible, however I highly doubt she is an ally of the angels after the many disrespectful things she has said about them and their beliefs," Isis tucked a strand of her straight black hair behind her ear in a slightly nervous fashion.

"Hmm..." Bakura rose from his position and headed for the door.

"Bakura?" Isis said, sounding unsure of herself.

"Yes," Bakura turned around and found Isis to be staring blankly ahead, her bright blue eyes appeared to almost hollow, the white haired fiend was about to ask what her problem was when she began to speak in a strange voice, Bakura had encountered this type of thing before, it was a state that only the most advanced of seers could enter, it was a state in which they were not really quite conscious.

It was a state which enabled them to deliver prophecies from forces beyond the average demon's comprehension.

"_She will tempt you, this much I know, do be careful legendary warrior, or you may not get a chance to live up to your title_," with that Isis finished speaking and drifted deeper into her meditation-like state.

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

* * *

Reviews: 

Malikztiah- I will be showing it from the angel's side, I'm just making sure everyone is clear on the scene with the demons first.

mechante fille- well I guarentee there will be pairings, I'm not quite sure who though, I'm debating a few different couples, and maybe a triangle, I'm not sure yet...

Time keeper- I'm getting there...

Kayrana- Don't worry, Anzu will be in this story, and she'll be playing a big part too! I've been playing with some ideas for the leader of the angels, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with that post yet though...

pharaohs-slave- here is that asap update you asked for!

* * *

TK: same deal as last time, five reviews, then I update, I'm only asking this because I would like to get some feedback instead of just updating without a second opinion. 

SK: R&R no flames

TK: Later!


	4. One letter

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind, _

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_Now is the time to look ahead and think of the future,_

_however a careless mistake could cost loyalists their lives,_

_the demon queen's plan is in motion,_

_and the victim knows who they are._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter four

* * *

_((Too cold...))_

'Cold, cold, cold, cold, freezing, freezing, freezing, freezing, cold, cold, cold, freezing, FREEZING! Those dolts had better find this note... but I wouldn't put it past them to miss it...'

* * *

_((Where is she?))_

Ishtar Malik and Ishtar Marik hurried through the busy streets of the mortal realm, the pair moving as quickly and subtly as they possibly could towards the point they had agreed to meet the demon queen at.

Although it was only snowing lightly at the moment, there had been a heavy fall over night, resulting in slippery sidewalks and adding to the positively miserable feel on the street. Everything seemed to be a shade of grey, people scurried along the footpaths, most had their hands stuffed in their pockets and bore thick jackets to keep the cold out.

Malik and Marik were no exception, they were wearing the thickest jackets they had been able to find, and were still freezing. The demon realm, or the 'underworld' was a relatively warm place, it never snowed, so it was never a pleasant experience coming to the mortal realm when it was snowing.

"Where were we supposed to meet her," Marik asked impatiently. Malik drew a folded, and rather tattered piece of paper from his pocket.

"The address is written there," Malik handed the piece of paper over to Marik, who examined it for a moment then handed it back.

"Where exactly is that?" Marik questioned.

"How should I know?" the other demon spat back. Marik stared at the address for a while, then he stopped to stare at a street sign.

"I think this is the street," Malik checked the piece of paper his correspondent was holding, then the street sign.

"Looks like it," Malik said plainly. The pair of demons continued walking until they reached the end of the street.

"She's not here," Marik spat, sounding just the slightest bit annoyed.

"But maybe she was..." Malik trailed off, his partner in crime took a moment longer to realize what the afore mentioned demon meant by his statement.

Malik steeped up to the street post and pulled a note that had been attached to it off.

"How do you know it's from her?" Marik asked sceptically.

"Who else do you know that would leave a note where anyone could find it?" Marik seemed satisfied with Malik's answer and the demons read the note intently.

* * *

_((And so the plot thickens...))_

"Yami?" the demon prince could hear the knocking on his bedroom door very clearly through the silence that currently occupied the interior of his room.

"Yes," the prince called back, a normal demon would be expected to open the door and bow respectfully to the person who was currently standing on the other side, but Yami was not a normal demon, he was a prince.

"Can we talk?" the feminine voice called back.

"I guess," the crown prince sat up and the person belonging to the voice opened the door and sat down on his bed next to him.

"What is it mother?" Yami asked casually, although he made sure to use proper language, just in case it was bad news.

"I need to talk to you about your position as crown prince," the empress said, it was hard to tell if she was about to say he wasn't the prince or she was going to tell him that he would be taking over her position as the demon ruler.

"What about it?" was the best thing Yami could come up with.

"Well," the empress began, "I believe now may be a good time to start thinking ahead, about when my reign ends and yours begins,"

"I don't understand where you are coming from," and it was true, as quick on the uptake as the crown prince was, if there was one thing he couldn't do, it was understand his mother.

"I am suggesting that perhaps it is time to put your thoughts towards your future co-ruler," the empress paused, judging by the skeptical expression on her son's face, she was going to have to say it straight out, "Perhaps it is time to start looking for a bride,"

Yami sat for a moment, unable to respond or react. Then he seemed to suddenly regain full control over his body, it was about at that point that he realized what his mother had said. And soon after that the full extent of what had been said seemed to sink in.

"Why?" was the only thing the prince felt capable of asking.

"Because it would secure the dynasty that your father worked hard to establish, and it would rule out anyone else becoming the heir," the empress said calmly.

"Is it even possible for someone else to become heir to the throne, aren't I my father's only son, or are you about to tell me that I have a long lost brother?" Yami attempted to make a joke, but he sounded just a bit more serious than he had intended.

"No," Yami's mother snapped, she smiled and gave a short laugh, "you don't have any long lost brother, but it is possible for someone else to become heir, if the people see them as more capable,"

"Who could possibly be viewed as more capable?" the crown prince had a sneaking suspicion he knew who his mother was talking about, but asked anyway.

"You are aware that there are quite a few demons who are related to the royal bloodline," the empress paused, "I have heard rumors that the warlord is looking for a bride, however I do not know if they are true,"

"You are worried that the warlord will attempt to have me dethroned?" the prince asked, slightly amused, but his amusement quickly disappeared after his mother's next comment.

"It is a perfectly legitiment concern," she snapped, "and I do fear that should he and the demon queen work out their differences, they could uncover more of the war than the people need to know,"

"What is there that the people don't know?" Yami no longer doubted that he was treading on delicate grounds here, he had to be very careful about his questions now.

"Majority of the public don't know the complete brutality of the war, they are completely unaware of how prisoners were treated," the empress exhaled heavily, "and many of their battles were for more than land or power,"

"What do you mean?" Yami's knowledge on the war was minimal, because for the part of the war he had been around for, his father had made sure that he was well guarded.

However any demon knew about the feud between the demon queen and the warlord, one being Akunadin's champion, the other being Akunamukanon's champion. They fought many battles and even after the war was finished the pair still fought, and over the stupidest things. They fought over political matters, they fought over battle strategies, they fought over matters concerning the angels, on one occasion they had even fought over who started the fight.

A pair of arguing demons was not something that anyone would want to come across, demons often lashed out and attacked other demons when they were arguing. In a few cases demons had even killed other demons while arguing, and although both the warlord and the demon queen had tried this, neither had come out successful, however the warlord had succeeded in rendering the demon queen flightless.

But that was an entirely different story.

"It is a long story, and I promise to tell you before you take my place, but I would like to keep on topic here," a smiled played on the empress's features watching her son shift position awkwardly.

"I understand that it is a bit early, but just keep an eye out, that's all I ask," the empress finished and stood up.

"I get the feeling that if I don't keep an eye out, then you will?" Yami questioned, it is impossible to live with someone for over a century and not know them enough to see through them to some extent.

"Most probably," the empress smiled and left the crown prince to think.

What his mother had said made him wonder exactly how much he knew about the war, he knew his father and his uncle had fought, and he knew that his father's champion had been the warlord, and his uncle's champion had been the demon queen, but what more was there?

Was it possible that the demon queen had a son? If she did then it might be possible for her to dethrone him and legitimize her son as the heir, perhaps that was what his mother knew that he didn't? Perhaps not...

The prince got up and walked down the corridor outside his room, when he couldn't work things out he usually walked around the palace, it sometimes helped.

The prince was so caught up in his own musings that he didn't notice another figure who was also not paying attention to the fact that they weren't alone, and of course, there was only one possible outcome in this situation.

The prince found himself set off balance slightly and steeped backwards to regain his balance, as did the other party involved.

"Watch where you're going," the other figure snapped.

Only one person would be so rude to a member of the royal party in a place where anybody could hear them, the prince didn't even need to look to know who it was.

"Maybe I was watching, maybe it was you who wasn't, Bakura," the prince said calmly, he seemed to have inherited some of his mother's charisma.

The demon warrior simply growled and kept walking, he wasn't interested in arguing with a spoilt prince, he had more important things to do, after reading the note from the demon queen...

Yami looked at the stone floor in front of him and noticed that a price of paper was lying there, 'it must be Bakura's' the prince thought and quickly went over to pick it up. He turned around to give it back to the legendary warrior, but when he did the other demon was gone.

The prince had a few options right now, he opted for the most appealing, he walked back into his room and read the note.

_Bakura,_

_I feel it is my duty to remind you of the situation with the_

_prince. I have sent two of my most reliable force members_

_to speak with the warlord and he seemed to show some_

_interest towards the idea of dethroning the prince._

_I myself, find the idea rather appealing, however it would_

_be impossible without more support, so I am asking you_

_for your assistance._

_As a warrior I understand you will want something in_

_return, and I also know that simply witnessing the prince's _

_dethroning will not be enough._

_So should you choose to assist in this most noble of_

_quests, then I shall reward you with what ever catches_

_your eye from the royal treasury._

_I believe it may be obvious but I wish to remind you that if_

_you are unsure if someone is an ally or not, do not_

_mention this ploy._

_Should anyone else find out we may have to abandon the_

_plot, which would be a dreadful loss to all involved._

_Another question of yours may be why I have enlisted_

_your help, that is quite simple._

_I know of your immense dislike of the prince, I also know_

_that you have been waiting for an opportunity to side_

_against him._

_Well here it is, I am proposing a group alliance, between_

_you, myself, and a few others who have yet to pass their_

_judgment on the idea._

_However I believe you should know that, should you_

_choose not to accept my offer, I will personally ensure _

_that you are slain._

_It matters not to me what an accomplished warrior you_

_are, I am asking for your assistance because people fea__r_

_you, and that, I believe, is a weapon in itself._

_I understand any reluctance you may have towards this_

_plan, but know this:_

_This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, if we do nottake _

_action now, Akunamukanon's dynasty will become too firmly _

_established to challenge, now is the time to act._

_I ask that if you are interested in accepting my offer that _

_you meet with myself and a few other potential allies _

_to discuss the reconstruction of Akunadin's forces._

_We will be meeting in two days in the mortal realm, I have _

_written the address on a different piece of paper, so that _

_should this note be lost, you will still know the address, _

_and no one else will be able to find the rendezvous point._

_With nothing else to say I will leave the decision in your _

_hands, but I ask that you consider the consequences, _

_whatever your choice may be._

Yami simply stared at the piece of paper, he didn't know quite how to react, people withing the court were plotting to kill him and take over the dynasty his father established. The prince stood from his position, he folded the note and quickly stuffed it inside one of his study books, then exited the room and headed for the throne room.

_

* * *

((Sounds deceitful, I like it!)) _

_Malik & Marik,_

_It was too dangerous to stay in this realm, so I've left this _

_note to instruct you as to what to do._

_I understand that the discussion with the warlord went _

_perfectly, I have written the note to Bakura._

_It is now your job to discreetly persuade Akunadin _

_loyalists to join our cause. Make sure those who aren't _

_involved don't suspect anything._

_I believe there is a village on the outskirts of the _

_underworld that is opposed to Akunamukanon's reign, _

_perhaps there is a good place to start your recruitment _

_campaign._

_As of now it is also your job to observe the prince's _

_movements very closely, the captain of the guard used to _

_support Akunadin, however I believe his loyalties have _

_moved, so be mindful of what you say around him._

_Now that I have said all that needs saying, the first phase _

_of the plan is in motion, so begin the preparations, our _

_time is nearing._

The only thing written under the note was a letter, an initial, the demon queen's initial.

_T._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

* * *

Reviews: 

mechante fille- yes it will cause quite a stir! I should know, I'm the one writing it! Your guesses were SOOOOOO close to what I had in mind, but not quite there...

TwinSanity- well, I got the reviews!

Kayrana- not quite...

pharohs-slave- another asap update! XD

Malikztiah- your on the right track with your guess, but not quite what I was thinking...

* * *

TK: same deal as last time, five reviews, then I update 

SK: RR no flames

TK: Later!


	5. Starry sky

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind, _

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_It is time to look at things from a different point of view,_

_perhaps this will answer some of your questions,_

_perhaps it will create more,_

_perhaps it will provide insite into the lives of the 'enemy'._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter five

* * *

_((Mou, where did they go?))_

White feathery wings glided through the deep blue night sky with ease, stars were scattered through out the blue-black backdrop with a few grey clouds here and there. The light from the moon dove towards the earth in beams and seemed to give the white wings an almost surreal appearance.

The coincidental thing was that the wings were almost surreal, in fact, they were surreal. The boy the wings belonged to was a short boy, he seemed to be much shorter than others his age, he had black spiky hair with deep purple tips and blond bangs. His eyes were a most graceful shade of violet which added to the petite body's innocent appearance.

Usually the boy would be accompanied by others of his kind, however what he lacked in height, he made up for in speed.

"Slow down Yuugi!" a distant voice called from behind him. The small white winged boy smiled.

"Yuugi!" another voice called, this one was more feminine than the last, and it's owner was more closely related to the petite angel than the first.

The small violet eyed angel slowed to a stop and allowed the two others trailing behind him to catch up, he smiled as he saw the outlines of their bodies come into view. The first was a male, his blond hair was scattered in every possible direction, his eyes were an affectionate muddy brown shade, his eyes narrowed to block the wind out as his white feathered wings glided to a stop in front of Yuugi.

The second angel was a woman, she had short chocolate brown hair with a thin straight fringe drawing a line just above her eyebrows. Her eyes were a magnificent shade of blue, many an angel had marveled at their depth and sheer serenity. She was an average height angel, slightly shorter than her blond companion.

"Yuugi, you should not fly out on your own, it's dangerous," the female angel lectured as though she was the boy's mother.

"I am sorry Anzu, but I'm being careful, I won't get into trouble," the smaller boy shook his head at the last statement he made to put emphasis on the fact that he didn't intend on getting caught.

"Yuugi, you could have been seen, or fallen, or worse... caught by demons!" the blond started off in a whisper, but finished in a shout.

"Hush Jou, anyone could hear you out here, including demons," Anzu hissed in a most un-angelic manner, she quickly dropped her angry aura and reclaimed her more calm outwards appearance.

"I know, but I really was being careful," the smaller angel looked at his companions and smiled, he had known them both for some time.

Jou was only a nickname, the taller male angel's real name was Katsuya Jounouchi, the pair's first meeting had been almost a decade ago, when Jou had been ambushed by a small group of demons, the blond had tried to fight them off, but when it came down to a battle of brute strength, a demon would win without even trying. However Yuugi had heard the commotion and come to his fellow angel's aid, the small boy possessed a tremendous power, however physically he was not very strong an all, and when the demons got close enough, they began physically assaulting him.

Jou had called for help and together with some angels who had also come to help, they fended off the demons, but at a cost, Yuugi had been seriously injured.

The blond angel had carefully flown the small boy to a nearby angel base, where they had treated his wounds and within a few days Yuugi was completely healed.

Though it was the blond who had actually saved the violet eyed boy's life, Jou swore that one day he would repay the kindness and generosity that Yuugi had shown him. It was from that day forward that Jou had become Yuugi's sworn bodyguard, allocated the job of protecting the young ruler to be from any dangers.

Yuugi's grandfather was none other than the arch angel Solomon, one day it was to be Yuugi's job to continue to lead his people towards a time of absolute peace.

Yuugi's family was a small one, it consisted of his grandfather, himself, and his sister, Anzu. Although the pair of angels looked almost nothing alike, Anzu and Yuugi were siblings, the blue eyed girl was older by a few decades and looked almost exactly like their mother. Yuugi's appearance however, was not so genetic, his hair was rather unusual for an angel, and he was rather short, but their mother had been almost a head and shoulders shorter than most angels, so his height had been excused.

The pair of angel siblings rarely argued, their mother and father had died while they were both young, and their grandfather was very busy, but whenever he got spare time he would spend it with his children.

The angels seemed to be having the almost exact opposite problem that the demons had encountered, unlike the demons they had not had centuries of civil unrest, they were peaceful people. However the angels seemed to have spread out over time, and now that the demons were attacking angel territory, they needed to band together.

But it wasn't as simple as it sounded, the angels had spread out over hundreds of thousands of kilometers. To get his people to band together Solomon was having to leave for months at a time, even with the gift of flight, it still took a long time to get from point A to point B when the distance was so great.

Angels were peaceful people, but they were also caring people, and when someone was in trouble they would rush to help them. Which was good, the faster the angels agreed to help Solomon in his plight, the faster he could push back the demon attack, which threatened to destroy his home and his people, and as much as he wanted to continue living a peaceful existence, if he wanted to be rid of the demons he had to stop their attack.

And to stop their attack he had to fight fire with fire.

"Come Yuugi, let us go home, it is not safe to stay out here in the open," Anzu attempted to persuade her younger brother into going with her. The said brother took one last look over the serene midnight sky.

"Okay, let us go home," Yuugi nodded in agreement and followed his sister, flying slowly, as not to over take her.

"Finally, I was getting worried some demons were going to show up, then we'd have trouble," Jou stated, he shuddered slightly at the thought which caused him to loose his balance slightly, however after a skeptical glance from Anzu he quickly recovered.

"Indeed," the female angel agreed and the trio flew into the midnight sky, leaving behind only a single white feather, left to drift towards the earth far below, to show they ever visited.

* * *

_((Kaiba? As in Seto Kaiba?))_

"The demons have ceased their attacks, it appears they are considering our peace treaty," Honda Hiroto said confidently as he glanced over the small room with his deep honey brown eyes and his usual 'pointy' hairstyle.

"If we wanted to attack then now would be the perfect time," Noah said quite nonchalantly, his purple eyes blazed with confidence, his cyan hair hung casually over his forehead, slightly covering his eyes from view.

There were many a rumor that Kaiba Noah was related to Kaiba Seto who happened to be the demon Warlord. However that did not matter, as angels were accepting people, and even if Noah was a half blood, he had made it very clear that his loyalties didn't rest with the demons.

"But attacking is not what would be best, we must also think of generations to come," a black haired male angel spoke, he had deep green flashing eyes and a line of kohl under his right eye.

"I understand Otogi Ryuuji, but the demons will be too suspicious to take our proposed peace treaty seriously, they will simply take it as an invitation to come up here and attack us personally, now that they are able to do so," although he was young, Kaiba Noah was known to be persistent.

"Noah, I do not believe it is appropriate to attack the demons, we are trying to encourage the peace treaty, not use it as a decoy," Otogi Ryuuji tossed a loose strand of his jet black hair out of his eyes and continued to stare intensely at the angel Warlord.

"Do not confuse what I am saying Otogi Ryuuji," Noah began in a solemn tone, "I too, believe that the peace treaty would be a great advantage to the angelic people, however, I do not believe that the demons will share our vision of the two different races uniting as one,"

"I have no doubt that they will not believe us at first Noah, but we must remain persistent in our attempts to unite the two races, until we are given orders to do otherwise," Ryuuji rose from his seat and left the room.

It there was one thing about Otogi Ryuuji that annoyed Noah, it was that he referred to the warlord by his first name. In the angel ranks almost everyone was referred to by their first name, except for a select few, them being Gabriel and his family, and Otogi Ryuuji, who was Gabriel's right hand man. There was no one that Solomon trusted more than Otogi.

"I suppose that's my cue to leave then, I will speak with you later Noah," Honda Hiroto bowed first, then repeated Otogi Ryuuji's movements made moments earlier, he rose from his sitting position and promptly left the room.

Noah sat for a moment, it was true that Hiroto had just called him by his first name, but that was different, that was coming from someone who was not ranked as high as himself. He could accept it coming from Honda, it just really annoyed him when Otogi called people by their first name, he had a way of making it sound like he was proving that he was superior.

Kaiba Noah rose from his position and stretched, then he stood still for a moment and considered his options as to what his next activity would be.

He did have plenty of planning to do if the peace treaty with the demons fell through, which it was likely to do. He also had to speak with Roba Espa, who was the lead seer and therefore strategist, and it was important for the Warlord-the Warlord being Kaiba Noah- to know of the enemy's movements.

The last thing on his list of important things to do was to advise Honda Hiroto as to what to do with the angel defense forces. But it was hard to do that at the moment, seeing as he was unsure of what movements the demons were making.

Much of the demonic culture was unknown to the angels, they understood that the demon justice system worked differently to theirs, and that instead of having an arch angel, they had a royal family, however much of the workings of the family remained foreign knowledge to the angels.

The angels understood that demons prized physical strength over anything else, and that they often held gladiator like matches to determine who the strongest demons were. They also knew the rules of these matches, the first demon to die or get put in a position to be killed looses. The winner of the match would get the choice of whether or not they wanted to kill their opponent.

It was also to the angel's knowledge that demons could smell them, many angels resented being associated with demons because angels were more closely related to humans than to demons. They experienced emotions similar to humans, and reacted in similar fashions, making it much easier for them to blend in with mortals.

Demons were similar physically, appearance-wise they were an almost 'darker' version of an angel, however the inner workings of their minds were quite different. Demons bore a few similarities to humans, in the fact that they could like or dislike particular people, and they all had different personalities.

However their reactions were often extreme, one example is during arguments, demons often actually try to get rid of the opposition by killing them, and unfortunately they often succeeded.

Demons also view actions differently, many things that humans and angels find intimate demons consider casual or 'diplomatic' or in some cases offensive, and things that humans and angels would consider normal, such as someone else cleaning one of your cuts, demons would consider a gesture of affection.

However the definitive characteristic seemed to be in women, women of the angel species seemed to be rather passive and rarely were willing to fight. Mortal women varied depending on their background, some were aggressive, some were passive, some were in the middle. And Demon women were usually rather aggressive, always willing to fight and eliminate the enemy.

An intensive study had been done by the angels as to why this was, and the end result had been that it was an trait that the demon's had used to adapt, and nothing more. There were angels who would argue with that theory, and there were demons who would kill whoever had formulated it, but that was the best - and most reasonable - explanation that the researchers had come up with.

* * *

_((Bakura, what were you thinking...))_

"Mama," a young girl whined, she was almost ready to go to bed, almost.

"What is wrong dear?" the girl's mother asked.

"Tell me a story before I go to bed, I want to hear a story," the young girl insisted.

"Ask your father dear, he is a much better story teller than I," with that the older angel woman went back to mending a hole in the girl's favorite dress.

"Papa," the girl imitated her earlier whine.

"What is it princess?" the older angelic man asked as his wife had done before him.

"Mama said you would tell me a story before I go to bed," the small girl sounded hopeful, her father grinned.

"I suppose I could do that," with that said the small girl bounded to her room closely followed by her father. She quickly leaped under the covers and her father tucked her in.

"I want to hear a story about the demons!" the girl shouted excitedly.

"Let's see..." the father trailed off, contemplating his next words.

_Once upon a time..._

_There lived a ferocious demon, he had hair whiter than snow and eyes darker than mud. His skin was tanned like the sands of a mortal desert and his teeth were sharper than knives._

_And his name was Bakura._

_He was a strong warrior, stronger than any other demon, he could beat any opponent with his hands tied behind his back._

_And he could make the strongest opponents run in fear from him by simply shouting at them._

"I don't like this story," the little girl yawned, "it's too boring,"

"Hold on, I will get to the good part," the girls father caught his young daughter looking at him sceptically at him, "I promise..."

_Angels everywhere feared him, they were so scared of him they refused to speak his name, they simply referred to him as the 'stealer of souls'._

_The infamous stealer of souls was almost unstoppable, if you were his target, you wouldn't get away, and unfortunately he had set his sights of the beautiful daughter of the arch angel, Adina._

_The arch angel feared for his daughter's life so he locked her in a tower that was guarded day and night._

_She was allowed as many visitors as she wanted and as often as she wanted._

_The arch angel made sure that she got only the finest foods the angels had to offer._

_But the young girl longed for more, so one night she sneaked out of the tower._

_In the morning when her father found her gone he commanded the entire watch patrol to go out and search for the girl._

_But the guards had no luck, it was as if the girl had simply disappeared._

"Where did she go?" the young girl asked curiously.

"You will see," the father smiled knowingly.

_Unfortunately for the young girl the infamous Bakura had kidnapped her while she was attempting to escape from her prison._

_The young girl demanded that the demon let her go but Bakura's mind was made up, he was keeping her, and she would become his slave._

"She didn't really become his slave did she?" the young girl asked in a worried tone, her father just smiled.

_The young girl didn't exactly like the idea of becoming the stealer of soul's slave so she made him a deal._

_The girl said that if the demon could beat her at a game, then she would stay his slave, however, if she beat him, then he would have to set her free._

_The demon was overly confident and wasted no time in accepting her challenge, he was so confident that he let her pick the game._

_And this is what the young girl had been hoping for._

_She quickly explained her game, it was easy, she flipped a coin, and he said either heads or tails, and when the coin landed they would see if he had guessed right or wrong._

_If he guessed right, he won, and if he guessed wrong, he lost._

_So the young girl flipped the coin, the stealer of souls was still confident that he would win, so he said that the coin would land on tails._

_Unfortunately for the demon he had again played into the intelligent young angel's hand._

_Because the coin did not land of tails, in landed on heads, the coin could not land on tails because there was no tails side on it, the coin the angel had used had two heads._

_'How did you beat me!' the demon demanded, 'an angel such as yourself should not be able to defeat me at anything!'_

_'You were foolish to underestimate me twice silly demon' the girl scoffed 'now stay true to your word and set me free'_

_As much as he disliked it, Bakura obliged and set the young girl free._

_She immediately went back to her home and apologized to her father for running away._

_The young girl had learned a valuable lesson that day:_

_That you should always listen to your parents, because they only do things for your benefit._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

* * *

Reviews:

mechante fille- you're right, that is a completely unfounded thought, considering that the only conversation they have had so far was an argument. And perhaps you guessed but your theory about the initial was wrong! Hehe... surprise!

crystal pheonix- you all _thought_ you knew, but if you guessed who I think you did then surprise to you too! XD

Kayrana- another ASAP update!

yellowfairy07001- I don't think this chapter gave away anything about Yami's birth, and I'm not going to say anymore about it through fear of giving away the big secrete!

Malikztiah- you like being in the dark when you read? This story is _perfect _for you then, hey, I'm still in the dark and I'm the one writing it!

cutepony- poofhead! Go and ruin my brilliant plot bunny why don't you! btw SakitoKetto says you suck! XD

* * *

TK: sams deal as always five reviews then I update, and I must say the updates will be slow, I'm trying to make the chapters as interesting and as gramatically correct as possible.

SK: RR no flames

TK: Later!


	6. The Demon Queen encounter

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind, _

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_A dangerous unity for some,_

_a desired unity for others,_

_but is this 'alliance' being forged for all the wrong reasons?_

_this is the start of things to come._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter six

* * *

_((Careful, knives are sharp))_

It had been exactly two days since the demon prince had found out about the plot to have himself dethroned. It had been exactly two days since his mother had told him to start looking for a bride.

And it had been two days since he had encountered the demon queen.

Looking back he regretted his choice of places to look for his motheror anyone who would helpit was far too obvious. Although the good thing (if you could call it that) was that no one else had been around, so no one else knew anything about the conversation.

Although it was hard to determine who it was 'good' for.

* * *

The demon prince stopped outside the door to catch his breath, he had sprinted most of the way to the throne room. He didn't know where else to go, there were people around him who were plotting to kill him and make it look like an accident. Once his breathing evened out a bit he entered the dark hall. 

It was a long hall and the usual black drapes could be seen in the dark adorning the roof where the large support structures met it. At the end of the hall he could see four chairs, the first chair on the left was silver with black decorations, the next chair was the tallest of them all, it was gold and had intricately carved patterns adorning it's sides. The two chairs to the right decreased in height, making for a staircase effect.

The third chair from the right was his throne, the traditional position of the crown prince.

But probably the most abnormal thing about the room during this visit had been the presence of a second party, seated at the tallest throne in the room, the empress's throne.

The demon prince composed himself and walked towards the figure, but the closer he got the stronger the urge to turn and run in the opposite direction grew. However the prince kept his calm attitude and continued to head towards the figure at the throne.

"Prince Yami, what a surprise," the voice was very cold, and very feminine.

"My presence here is hardly something that should surprise you," Yami spoke in a fluent and reasonably dignified voice, it was the kind of voice that would have made his mother proud.

"True, but I wasn't expecting you to be here," the voice continued to subtly taunt the crown prince with their cold-but-respective voice.

"That hardly explains why you are sitting on my mother's throne," Yami paused momentarily for effect, "was it too hard for you to make it all the way to your throne, which happens to be mere centimeters away,"

"How disrespectful you are prince," the figure rose from their seated position, the deep purple cloak they wore fell casually around their feminine build, the hood blocked out any possible view of their eyes.

"I hardly think you should be calling me disrespectful," Yami retorted, the prince was exceedingly good when it came to verbal warfare.

"No, you are right, rude and spoilt are much more appropriate," the figure spat, they had dropped their respectful masquerade and had taken to a far more brutal approach.

"By calling me rude and spoilt you yourself are being rude, does that not make you a hypocrite?" Yami smirked at the wordless demon in front of him.

"Watch your back prince, you never know who'll be standing there with a knife," the figure walked deliberately slowly past Yami and continued down the long passage to the exit.

* * *

_((Wartime personalities...))_

Technically the demon queen had admitted to being involved with, if not murdering the late demon king. And by proving to the people that she was involved in or organized the murder, then she would be put to death as punishment, however that could have some very negative repercussions for the prince.

During his time Akunadin was known to hold grudges, and Yami very much doubted that his followers were any different. And should he get the one who is trying to reconstruct Akunadin's once great forces killed, then chances were the rest of them would come after his blood. And that was an undesirable outcome.

The prince was sitting in the library of the palace, he had decided to do a bit of research on the war, to see just how much he knew, and how much could be hidden. So far his efforts to unearth something incriminating had been fruitless, however brushing up his knowledge hadn't been a complete waste of time, the prince had found a few particularly interesting books.

The first was a complete documentation of almost all of the strategies that were used during the war, the second was a history of the royal line (he had liked this one because it was the only book he was mentioned in).

The third book he had found was about the people involved in the war, the prince had never heard of the title or the author, but whoever wrote it seemed to know a lot about the war. There was nothing terribly incriminating in the book but it was a very good read, the author had obviously done their homework, the book looked very closely at the personalities of the parties involved and at the role that each individual played in the power struggle.

The prince had started packing up his books when he heard two very familiar voices, not exactly the two people he really wanted to talk to right now. But no matter how great his efforts had been, the two demons got in before he could get out.

"Ah, prince Yami, what a surprise," the first mocked.

"And here we were expecting some old hag of a librarian," the second demon took a seat to Yami's left and the first claimed the spare seat to Yami's right.

"So, prince, how's life going, school is not too hard is it?" Ishtar Malik, seated at the prince's right, asked casually, he was wearing a white middrif topwith baggy black cargo pants.

"Actually I am kind of busy at the moment," Yami attempted to get rid of them, but his efforts again proved fruitless.

"Busy, with what? Don't tell me you actually study for school," Ishtar Marik taunted, probably the only thing that gave away the fact that he and Malik weren't clones of each other was that he was adorned in a different outfit. His outfit consisted of a black sleeveless shirt and loose fitting beige cargo pants.

"Not all of us dropped out of school Marik," Malik teased as he risked a quick glance at the prince's books. None of them seemed too interesting, they were all about the war, Malik was about to give up his visual search when he spotted something.

"It's not my fault-" Marik was cut of by his partner in crime who reached out and snatched up one of the prince's books.

"What do we have here? The original copy of 'Wartime personalities'," Malik eyed the book closely, the title was in indented gold printing and the book was covered in black leather hide.

"I didn't know the boogie man was an author," Marik stated carelessly after looking at the author's name.

"He isn't an author, some other demon wrote this, they just have the same name," Malik flipped through a few pages, he spotted some very interesting things, this was definitely something the demon queen would want to see. "You wouldn't mind if I borrowed this would you?"

"Not really," the prince replied off handedly, he was far more busy gathering up his books and getting away from the demonic duo.

"Why would you want to read a book written by the boogie man?" Marik complained as he followed Malik out of the library. The pair gained a look of disgust from one of the librarians on their way out.

Yami slowed his pace slightly, once he had the books he needed he left the library with all of the dignity he could muster. It was odd that Malik would want that book, the only thing of any interest that it contained was an analogy of the personalities possessed by the most influential figures in the war. And that shouldn't be any use to Malik, seeing as he was part of the war, he should already know most of what was published in the book.

The young prince decided that thinking should be left until later when he had some time to himself, after dinner.

* * *

_((Kaiba Seto and Kujaku Mai!))_

Bakura sat alone in one of the spare conference rooms the palace had to offer, it was relatively new and had been refurnished recently, but that wasn't why the demon warrior was there. He was there because it was quiet and very rarely was he granted the opportunity of sitting and simply thinking things through in silence.

"BAKURA!" a male voice yelled from outside the room.

"HAVE WE GOT NEWS FOR YOU!" a second voice shouted, before the warrior had a chance to vacate the room two twin like demons burst through the door.

"What now?" Bakura spat in annoyance.

"YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT WE JUST OVERHEARD!" the first demon shouted again.

"IT'S THE MOST UNLIKELY THING EVER!" the second continued the one sided shouting warfare.

"Stop shouting," Bakura complained, massaging his temples.

"You'll never guess what we overheard on our way here," the truth was they didn't actually overhear anything, they were actually told the information by their superior, but they were instructed to put on a big show.

"Spit it out then," the legendary warrior was quickly tiring of their antics.

"What do we get in return?" the second demon questioned, sounding rather like a salesperson.

"Nothing Marik, now tell me what ever it was that you overheard," Bakura struggled to resist the urge to strangle both of the demons in front of him.

"Come on, there has got to be something you have that we'd want," Marik inspected the room with his eyes, searching for something of any value.

"I know," Bakura said triumphantly, "how about... nothing," the warrior spat and returned to his former seat.

"That doesn't sound too valuable," Marik complained as his partner picked up the slack.

"I think there is something you have that we want..." Malik trailed off, he held out the book he had borrowed from the prince "I think you know who wrote this book, and I think you know where they are,"

"I have no idea where they are, and even if I did I'd never tell the likes of you!" Bakura spat in a disgusted manner.

"Let's do a deal, shall we? I'll tell you what I know, and you tell me what you know?" Malik attempted persuading the legendary warrior, and it worked.

"Very well," Bakura grunted, the demon warrior's eyes thoroughly inspected the room for signs of any other presences, when the room passed his inspection he began talking, "he's in the mortal realm, last I heard he was staying in some poor, dirty mortal city,"

"You must know more than that," Marik nagged.

"He's not exactly my favorite person to talk to," Bakura said, he was on full alert for any signs of movement coming form the corridor outside.

"The author, you're related to them, aren't you?" Malik smirked subtly, he was positive he had hit a sensitive nerve, and as fate would have it, he had.

"I'll die before I claim any sort of relation to that scum," Bakura growled.

"I suppose we should hold up our end of the deal shouldn't we?" Ishtar Malik said indifferently as he flicked a strand of his platinum blond hair out of his face.

"Well," Bakura spat impatiently.

"Have you heard the rumor about the warlord looking for a bride?" Malik asked slyly.

"Turns out it isn't a rumor after all," Marik answered his patner's question before Bakura got a chance to.

"He's picked a wife too," Malik continued.

"Who is it?" Bakura asked, if they warlord got married he could be put in serious jeopardy depending on who it was. If they were related to the prince, he was in serious trouble, but if they were related to Akunadin, or the demon queen, he was safe, for now.

"You sure you want to know?" Malik prolonged his answer.

"Yes I'm sure I want to know," the legendary warrior mimicked Malik's tone.

"It's Kujaku Mai!" Marik spat it in such a hurry that it took Bakura a moment to work out what the insane demon had said.

Bakura felt at that moment that only one word was capable of describing his current feelings,

'Crap...'

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

* * *

Reviews: 

mechante fille- glad you liked the idea of Yuugi with wings, and I don't think Bakura and Yami will be getting together anytime soon...

Kayrana- Nope! No cookie for you! And if you translate Yuugi from Japanese kanji I believe it does have two u's, but the stupid dub bunnies got rid of one because they can't spell!

Malikztiah- Glad you liked the chapter, and an interesting analogy of reading, I agree!

* * *

TK: Sorry about the long wait, I had a bit of a block, but I'm okay now! I've got a pretty good idea where I want to go with this story, and the holidays are comming up soon, giving me plenty of spare time to write! And this time I won't be benevolent, **five reviews, then I update**! 

SK: R&R, no flames

TK: Later!


	7. Wedding plans

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_A dangerous union is formed,_

_and another one is debated,_

_it is safe to say that nothing can be assumed,_

_and everything can be expected. _

_

* * *

_

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter seven

_

* * *

__((Just one person...))_

The demon prince stood outside his cousin's bedroom door, every time he knocked the maids in there told him to wait just a few more minutes. Yami was starting to worry about Kujaku Mai, she was a fair bit older than him, but out of his entire family Kujaku Mai was probably the easiest and best person to talk to.

But it just under an hour, she wouldn't be Kujaku Mai anymore, she would be Kaiba Mai, not exactly a comforting thought. Before the prince had a chance to worry about his cousin's name anymore Mai's bedroom door flung open and a group of about five maids began the long trek down the hallway. This was normal, what was abnormal was what one of the maids said to Mai on their way out.

"Try to cheer up Miss Kujaku, we'll come back before the ceremony to fix your hair and makeup," the maid sighed in a somewhat depressed manner and left the to be wife's chamber.

Yami walked in and found Mai sitting at her dressing table, she was wearing a deep red dress, traditional for women on their wedding days. The dress had a train longer than the room which was currently tucked neatly under Mai's chair, with a V shaped neckline, showing off a little less cleavage than usual with long flaring scarlet sleeves.

"That looks uncomfortable," Yami remarked about Mai's dress, lacking anything more intelligent or comforting to say.

"It is," Kujaku Mai's voice shook uncontrollably, it was at about that second that the prince made a rather important discovery, his cousin was crying, or had been crying, one or the other.

"Is it that bad?" the young heir took a seat on the edge of the bride's bed, there was an awkward silence for a moment, neither demon knew quite what to say.

"Yami, why me?" Kujaku Mai asked, she sat down on the bed beside the prince and began sobbing. It had become rather evident why the maids hadn't bothered with the bride's makeup or hair yet.

"I'm sure Kaiba isn't that bad, at least your initials won't change," the prince lacked anything better to say, heck, if he was going to marry Kaiba he would be in tears too, not that he had ever contemplated that scenario. Kujaku Mai gave a small laugh, but tears continued flowing as she spoke.

"Don't you see what he's trying to do?" the female demon hissed, "he's trying dethrone you, other than your sister I'm the closest unmarried woman to the throne," the prince thought about this for a moment.

"Technically, my mother isn't married, and if he married her he would automatically surpass me, he'd be the demon king," Yami looked mock thoughtful as he contemplated the thought, earning a playful punch from his weeping cousin.

"That's not the point Yami, the point is if you don't do something pretty drastic he will take your place as heir to the throne," Kujaku Mai often found it hard to stay angry or depressed when her younger cousin was around, and now was no exception.

Yami thought about his situation, the only way for him to gain more power politically would be to marry someone who had equal or more power than him. Only problem with that was that he was the crown prince, the only demon with more power than him was his mother, and she was out of the question.

"It's virtually impossible for you to gain anymore political power than you already have," Kujaku Mai said in a depressed drone, "even if you did decide to marry, who has more political power than you besides the empress,"

"There is one person..." Yami stopped for a moment, if this person actually agreed to his plan it would be impossible for anyone to be more powerful, politics-wise. Kujaku Mai caught on to the prince's plan immediately.

"She'd never agree!" Mai shouted, "and it's not worth forming an alliance with her!"

"But if I could convince her to agree, then Kaiba's plans, whatever they may be, would be ruined," the prince concluded in a triumphant voice. A knocking sound coming from the door echoed through the almost silent room.

"Miss Kujaku, we are here for your hair and makeup, the ceremony will begin soon," one of the maids said from the other side of the door. Mai walked over to her dressing table, she retrieved a tissue and began clearing up her tears.

"I guess I'll see you at the ceremony," Yami shrugged and left the room, telling the maids that they might want to give the bride to be a moment alone.

Kujaku Mai looked at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes were still slightly bloodshot, but nothing a few eye drops couldn't fix. Her hair was slightly more ruffled than it had been before, and her cheeks were still stained from all the tears, that could all be fixed.

Nothing physically was troubling her, but the thought of spending the rest of her life with the likes of Kaiba Seto was.

"Good luck Yami," Mai whispered, "Heaven help you if you go through with your plan,"

* * *

_((Are you insane!))_

Malik flipped carelessly through the pages of 'Wartime personalities', the demon queen had left a note saying she was out and would be back in an hour. The tanned demon glanced over at Ishtar Marik who was flicking a pin around on the table they were seated at.

"Has it been an hour yet?" Marik groaned, he was growing bored with his pin.

"No," Ishtar Malik knew how this game was played and wasn't in the mood to tolerate it, "and don't even think about asking that again,"

"How about now?" the hollow-eyed demon looked over at his partner, then back at his pin, neither seemed too entertaining.

"I just said don't ask me that," Malik clenched his teeth and resisted the urge to strangle the demon sitting next to him.

"You said not to ask 'has it been an hour yet?', you didn't say I couldn't ask 'how about now?'," Marik began flicking his pin around again, he had officially dubbed it more exciting than Ishtar Malik, who wasn't looking too impressed.

"Well, no and no," Malik answered both of the other demon's questions and continued flipping through the pages of the book in front of him.

The slightly shorter of the platinum haired demons ceased flicking the pages of the well used book when one page in particular caught his eye. On this particular page were many important dates, such as weddings, funerals and birthdays.

The most interesting date on the page happened to be the demon queen's birthday.

"Marik," Malik said sharply, the other demon looked rather effortlessly at Malik, then back at his pin, "take a look at this,"

Ishtar Marik looked over at the piece of information his partner in crime was looking at, and could have sworn his bottom jaw hit the table.

"That can't be right!" the more shocked of the duo shouted, "that date has to be wrong! If that date is right then she's old enough to be..."

"We could have another case of severe blackmail on our hands," Malik finished his conversation partner's statement.

"You must be joking, blackmailing the demon queen!" Marik half shouted, "that's insane! Malik, that's a line I'm not going to cross,"

"I didn't say we would be blackmailing her, not directly anyway," the more intellectual of the duet said in a plotting voice.

"Ishtar Malik, I will not take any part in blackmailing the demon queen," Marik flicked his pin off the desk and allowed it to land over the other side of the room, there were more important things to consider now.

"Think about it Marik, if the demon queen really is that old, then she must be, there is no other female demon alive that old, she has to be," Malik rose from his seat, tucked the copy of 'Wartime personalities' under his arm and walked swiftly and with purpose through the door.

Ishtar Marik sighed, things didn't seem to be going very well at all.

* * *

_((Feeling a little out of place?))_

Bakura felt just the slightest bit out of place in his current situation, he was wearing the thickest jacket he could find, which happened to be black with grey fur lining, and was wandering aimlessly around the mortal realm searching for the address the demon queen had given him.

He was gaining endless stares from passing humans, his hair and very distinct scar made him rather impossible not to notice. And with all the clothes he was wearing either black or grey, he looked almost gothic. Almost.

The legendary demon warrior, no matter how accomplished he was, couldn't find the address the demon queen had given him, and wouldn't allow himself to ask for directions. So he was stuck wandering the streets searching for some sort of indication as to where he was.

Bakura continued walking until he felt a small hand gently tug at his, were it not for the well manicured nails he would have assumed the hand to have belonged to a child.

"Bakura I presume," the feminine voice purred. The legendary warrior turned to find a rather short blond woman, her hair framed her unscratched face perfectly. She had sapphire blue eyes, and what she lacked in height, she made up for with her chest size, Bakura had to restrain himself from staring. "This way," she whispered.

She lead Bakura down a dark ally, there were many old abandoned boxes and crates, and one or two cats stalking around in the shadows. After a short time they came to a worn looking door, with the word 'insomnia' printed in letters that looked like they had once been gold.

"In here," the petite girl escorted demon warrior through the door.

The first word that came to Bakura's mind on the other side of the door was 'brothel', and as fate would have it, he wasn't too far off.

"The demon queen has been waiting for you, you're late," the blond girl eyed the other demon mischievously, however Bakura kept a straight face, "the others have already been and gone,"

"Hmm," the legendary warrior wasn't too interested in the others, he was more focused on finding the demon queen.

"The demon queen is out the back, this way," the much smaller demon said cheerfully and led Bakura to another door, she knocked quietly and a voice was heard from within.

"You're lucky, she's in a good mood today," the blond escort opened the door and Bakura entered slightly hesitantly. The demon warrior's over inflated ego allowed him to catch a disappointed expression on the blond's face, he couldn't help but smirk.

Bakura walked in and the door softly shut behind him, the room was completely dark, there were no windows and there didn't appear to be any other doors. Fortunately demons have very sensitive vision and the warrior managed to spot a shadowy figure seated in the far corner of the room.

"Have a seat," the feminine voice offered, in a rather commanding tone.

The legendary warrior took the seat that had been offered to him.

"You're late," the female voice snapped, however it seemed that she was acting more annoyed than she actually was.

"I got held up," the male demon shrugged, he tried to get a better idea of his surroundings but all he could see was blackness.

"You got lost," the feminine voice sounded almost mocking, Bakura might have taken offense, had he not known who he was talking to.

"Either way, I got here late," the white haired fiend smirked, showings off his razor sharp fangs.

There was silence for a moment, Bakura watched as the stranger lit a candle sitting on the edge of the desk they were seated at. As soon as the candle on the edge of the desk was lit other candles all over the room began lighting themselves. Some were on the floor, some were on stands, some were on shelves, and some were sitting on chairs.

Bakura could now see the figure the voice belonged to. She was wearing a deep purple cloak, similar to the ones Malik and Marik had been wearing the last time he saw them. The hood of the cloak was pulled over her head covering her eyes and most of her face from view, the only visible thing was her mouth.

"Nice trick," the male demon observed.

"Yes, it saves me having to go and light all of them," the feminine voice said in a conversational tone, "anyway, I invited you here to discus things other than candles,"

"Why would you hold a meeting here?" it wasn't that Bakura had anything against brothels, it was just that it didn't exactly strike him as a conventional place to hold a meeting.

"Is this place not to your liking? I thought you of all people would appreciate the hard work that is done here," the legendary warrior could see the female demon's lips curl into a smirk.

"Are you trying to suggest something?" demon queen or not, Bakura was going to tear her limb from limb if she said yes.

"No," the hooded demon responded, "to answer your first question, I decided to hold the meeting here becauseno onewould expect a meeting that could change the future of the demon race to be held in a brothel,"

"True..." Bakura trailed off, he was beginning to think that the demon queen was smarter than he'd given her credit for.

"Now Bakura, before I reveal any more of my plans I need to know if you are prepared to commit yourself to this plot, because if not, I advise you to leave," the female demon smirked and ran an index finger along her bottom lip.

"Now,"

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-__

* * *

Reviews: _

mechante fille- Don't worry, I have other plans for Bakura and Yami! Hopefully there was even /more/ intrigue in this chapter!

yellowfairy07001- Heh... I've been burried under a pile of school work for a while too, I managed to dig myself out though... yeah, they probably would kill eachother before the honeymoon...

Kayrana- That last guess was really complicated, I had to read over it three times to get the gist of it, but on a lighter note, thanks for your review!

cutepony- I'm watching my spelling, and it's not doing anything...

forget-to-log-on- Glad you're enjoying the story! Yes... one might say inane...

* * *

TK: I can't tell you exactly when the next update will be, sometimes I will update quickly sometimes not... five reviews, then I'll update, but I've already started on the next chapter so I may update sooner! 

SK: R'n'R

TK: Later!


	8. No way out

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_On a day that should be joyous,_

_things plague the mind of the ruler,_

_and her niece is backed into a corner,_

_there is no escape now._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter eight

* * *

_((On with it...))_

Yami sat at his desk, he looked out his window onto the fighting arena where they were currently holding gladiator matches in honor of Kujaku Mai and Kaiba Seto's wedding. The actual ceremony didn't start for a while, but both bride and groom were expected to be present at the matches, it was common courtesy.

The demon prince had more important things to do than watch two demons tear each other apart. If he was going to act, he had to do it now, starting with the letter he was writing.

Yami sat in front of a blank piece of paper, it was one thing to decide to write a letter, it was an entirely different thing to actually do it.

'Best get this over and done with' the prince sighed, he got the feeling that he would one day regret this but it had to be done, the warlord had to be stopped.

He put his pen to the paper,

_Dearest Demon Queen..._

* * *

_((That... would be great...))_

The empress stood at her window and sighed, a day that should have been a happy occasion was turning out to be rather depressing for the ruler of the demons. It was one week until it had been exactly five years since the demon king's untimely murder.

The mother of the prince gently picked up a photo of the late king, it was the last photo of him that had been taken. She ran her finger tips over the glass separating her from the image of her husband, then sighed again and gazed out the window onto the arena, she could hear the distant cheering of the crowd.

The empress sat down on the end of her bed and continued examining the photo, there were days when she could see her oldest son out of the corner of her eye and almost mistaken him for his father.

She could remember the day she met the demon king, who hadn't been a monarch at the time. She had spotted him at a meeting across the table, it was a good thing that no important decisions had been made at that meeting because the empress had spent the whole time gazing at the demon who was to be her future husband.

She could remember wondering if he was already married, or engaged, or had already been married and his wife had died. The empress had been so caught up in her musings that she hadn't realised that the demon she was staring at was returning the gesture.

As soon as the meeting had ended Akunamukanon had wasted no time in introducing himself to the strategist Masika. And that was the beginning of their relationship.

There had been times during the war when the empress had wanted to strangle her husband and leave his body to rot in the mortal realm. But she restrained that urge, and because of it her husband ended up winning the war and brining relative peace to the demon people.

There had been quite a bit of conflict after the birth of Akunamukanon's first son, however the pair had resolved the issue.

The empress stood again and placed the picture of her deceased husband back on the table next to her window.

"You'd be so proud," Masika spoke softly, "that son of yours, he will be a great leader someday,"

Another cheer could be heard from the distant arena and the empress smiled.

"However your champion has decided that he wants the position that rightfully belongs to your son, I will do everything in my power to stop him, just like you asked me to before you left," the mother of the prince whispered, she inhaled deeply and sighed.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you? That's why you told me to watch out for him," the empress shook her head.

"Who was it that killed you? I know who I suspect, but am I correct in my suspicion?" she sighed and opened her window a fraction, letting in a cool breeze.

"I sometimes wonder if they executed you, in the same way that you executed Akunadin," Masika paused for a moment, "I can still see the expressions on every single demon's face that day, you know the demon queen hasn't shown her face since the execution,"

"I think she was the most affected by Akunadin's death, it must have been hard for you to kill your own brother, but I don't blame you, it had to be done," she sighed.

"Could you do me a favour? Can you look out for your son?" the empress stopped for a moment, then corrected herself, "for our son?"

"He needs all the help he can get, please stay with him," she paused, "he will be a great leader someday," the empress chuckled, she let a single tear slide down her cheek.

"Just like his father,"

* * *

_((Isis, don't lie!))_

Bakura sat in his usual seat, at the back of the arena, it was less crowded and there wasn't as much noise as there was closer to the action. Given the current circumstances the legendary warrior was in a pretty good mood, despite the fact that Kaiba was getting one step closer to the throne the white haired fiend was feeling rather confident.

The meeting with the demon queen had gone rather well, he had agreed to side against the prince and he had been informed of the demon queen's plans.

He had gained a powerful ally, which put him at ease about the situation at court.

However he was not quite sure that the demon queen was completely sane, particularly after she had instructed Bakura-on a separate note-to leave the last note she had sent him where the prince would find it.

Despite Bakura's concerns the demon queen seemed rather positive that everything was going according to plan, the prince knew of her intentions, and she now had enough power to attack the prince head on.

But she was waiting for something, and that was also concerning to the legendary warrior.

The white-haired fiend heard one of the gladiator demons scream out in pain and cheered along with the rest of the crowd as the victor held up the limp body of his opponent and showed it off to everyone watching.

"Enjoying yourself?" a feminine voice mocked from behind Bakura, the male demon didn't have to look to know who was speaking, it was unmistakably the demon queen.

"Quite," the warrior said respectfully and the visitor sat silently beside him.

"Look at them," the female demon said and pointed over to Kujaku Mai and Kaiba Seto, who were seated at the opposite end of the arena, "if I'm not mistaken they look rather uneasy seated next to each other, it makes me wonder..."

"How do you suppose Kujaku Mai was forced into the wedding," Bakura asked, it was obvious from his point of view that the wedding was simply a way for Kaiba to get closer to the throne.

"I overheard the beginning of the conversation, he started by telling her that I'd kill her beloved cousin, I believe he probably told her that he needed to be closer to the throne to protect the prince," the female demon finished, she pulled her hood further over her face, blocking out everything except her lips.

"But didn't you say that the warlord showed some interest in dethroning the prince?" the male demon stopped watching the next pair of demons fighting and looked at the demon seated next to him. She was wearing a deep purple cloak, the same one she had been wearing the night before.

"Yes, which means that he is attempting to manipulate little Kujaku Mai," the female demon's lips curled into a smirk.

"Mai must know, she's a fool if she hasn't figured it out!" Bakura spat, Mai wasn't one of his favourite people.

"I think she does know, why else would she be acting so apprehensively towards her future husband?" the demon looked over and Bakura, then back at the fight.

"Why would she agree to marry him then? If she knew that he was just using her?" the legendary warrior flicked a loose strand of white hair out of his eyes.

"I'm not sure, perhaps she is not the only one being used," the hooded demon looked at the to be couple, maybe she had underestimated Kujaku Mai.

"What do you mean?" Bakura demanded more than asked.

"I can't say for sure, but perhaps... for as much as he is using her, she is also using him," the woman dropped her face into her hand and stared across the arena at the 'couple'.

"But why would Kujaku Mai be using Kaiba Seto? What could she possibly want?" the white-haired fiend looked at the blond haired demon, she certainly didn't look like the kind who would allow herself to be manipulated, much less manipulate somebody else, even if it was warlord Kaiba.

"Perhaps there is some sort of agreement between those two that nobody else knows about, perhaps warlord Kaiba has promised to protect the prince from me as long as Kujaku Mai marries him," the female demon continued staring at the to be couple.

"What good does it do him to marry her if he has sworn to protect the prince?" Bakura questioned, he hoped that the demon queen didn't usually just guess at things as she was now.

"I did hear him say that I would kill the prince, supposing he has promised to protect the prince from me, that doesn't mean that he can't blackmail the empress into making him the crown prince," the demon queen leaned back in her chair surveying the destruction that the two gladiator demons had caused so far.

"If Kujaku Mai knows that Kaiba is using her, surely she knows why, and that if his plan succeeds then her cousin will no longer be crown prince," the legendary warrior followed the demon queen's lead and leaned back in his seat, watching the two fighting demons trying to tear each other apart.

"Have you ever heard the saying 'it's better to be unsuccessful and alive than to be successful and dead'?" the female demon adjusted her hood to cover her face better.

"Yes, you don't believe it do you?" Bakura asked cautiously.

"No, I think it's utter rubbish, but perhaps our good friend Kujaku Mai does," the demon queen said thoughtfully.

"So you're saying she's agreed to marry Kaiba on the grounds that he protects Yami, whether he is prince or not," the white-haired fiend concluded.

The demon queen smirked triumphantly, he new ally was proving to be rather perceptive.

"Precisely,"

A moment of silence passed between them as both demons contemplated the theory they had just formed. It did seem highly likely that they were right, all the facts had been taken into account, and there was something that just wasn't quite right about the wedding. The pair stopped their musing as footsteps approached them.

The legendary warrior looked up to find Isis standing behind him, she was wearing her usual black dress, her straight black hair fanned out across her back and her dazzling blue eyes glinted in their usual fashion.

"Bakura," Isis began, however she seemed to recognise the demon seated next to the white-haired fiend and scowled, "Bakura, I need to have a word with you,"

The said demon simply nodded and remained in his seat, waiting for the seer to sit down on his other side.

"Alone," Isis made clear what she wanted, surprisingly the legendary warrior cooperated and left his seat, he followed the female demon until they were at least a hundred meters away from the demon queen.

"What do you think you are doing!" Isis nearly screamed.

"What?" Bakura asked, playing the role of the victim.

"She will tear your head clean off your shoulders!" the seer shouted, not really caring if anyone else heard.

"I don't know about you Isis, but my head is attached to my neck, not my shoulders," the demon warrior smirked at the seer's obvious frustration.

"She isn't interested in alliances, she's only interested in killing and bloodshed," Isis warned, but her warnings fell on deaf ears.

"Are you trying to say that she's going to kill me?" Bakura asked in disbelief, the female demon looked away, unable to answer his question.

"Ha!" the warrior snorted, "I'd like to see her try!"

"Bakura, it is that over confidence that will get you killed if you are not careful," Isis hissed.

"What? Don't tell me the big and mighty lead seer is jealous," the legendary warrior smirked at the seer, she could no longer keep her temper in check.

"Jealous? Of what!" Isis spat.

"Just because I happen to get along better with the demon queen," Bakura continued smirking, this had promise to be very entertaining.

"Why should I care who you get along with!" the blue-eyed woman glared in the general direction of the other demon.

"No need to pretend like you don't care," the warrior kept his game going.

"I DON'T CARE!" Isis yelled, anger flowing through her every vain.

"Don't worry Isis," Bakura decided to put the seer out of her misery, "if things don't work out between the demon queen and me I'll call you," with that said and done the warrior headed back to his seat.

"BAKURA!" Isis shouted, but the male demon was already out of earshot, or he just chose to ignore her. Isis sighed, Bakura could be so infuriating sometimes.

Maybe that's why she was falling for him.

* * *

_((No way out now...))_

The weather was beautiful, the hall was beautiful, the dress was beautiful, she was beautiful.

Kujaku Mai carefully gripped her bouquet of red roses with both hands, and held her head high as she walked down the isle. The red carpet which served as a path for her to walk on seemed to go on forever, and she wished it would, that way she would never have to reach the end.

She would never have to get married.

The hall was adorned with an assortment of elaborate decorations, red and black banners were draped from the roof in front of the large columns at the edge of the room. Large bunches of flowers were placed at both ends of every row of seats, the bunches got larger as they got closer to the alter. Where Kaiba Seto was waiting.

He was wearing traditional wedding robes, which were black with a sash bearing the colour of the wearer's choice. Naturally, Kaiba chose blue.

Mai's deep red dress trailed behind her as did her veil, which was adorned with small red beads that shimmered when the light hit them. She really was an embodiment of beauty, and she hated it.

She wished she didn't have to marry the warlord, but there was no other way...

She stopped walking for a moment, there was an audible gasp as the entire hall fell silent. Whispers began to replace the silence, every single person was waiting to see what Kujaku Mai would do next. Surely she wouldn't back out now.

What if there was another way? What if she could save her cousin and not marry the warlord? Kujaku Mai hesitated for a moment, what if she was making a mistake? Was she underestimating the crown prince, his father, after all, did great things, perhaps his son was capable of the same things.

The blond haired woman took a step backwards and the tension in the air grew thicker, there really could be another way out of this mess! She took another step backwards and her grip on the bouquet of roses loosened. One of the thorns pricked her finger and she watched as the blood dropped onto the bottom of her dress, becoming invisible.

A single tear fell down her cheek as she continued walking towards her final destination, there was no other way...

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-__

* * *

_

TK: I'm in a bit of a hurry, so i'll reply to all reviews in the next chapter!

SK: R'n'R

TK: Later!


	9. Tora Yuri, part I

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_Green eyes are revealed,_

_and a new union is soon to be formed,_

_however neither is really commited to the other,_

_both have wandering eyes._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter nine

* * *

_((They've done what now?))_

"EMPRESS! EMPRESS! URGENT NEWS!"

The empress looked up from the pile of papers she had been reviewing to find a messenger panting and leaning on the edge of her desk for support. He quickly pushed away from the monarch's workspace and bowed respectively, as was expected of everyone.

"What is it?" the mother of the prince asked, she put her quill down and gave the other demon her full attention.

"It's the angels," the lower classed demon spoke in between breaths, still struggling for air.

"What about the angels?" the empress was becoming slightly worried.

"They've agreed to speak with the demonic monarchy about peace treaty negotiations,"

Word spread quickly about the 'diplomatic victory' not all demons were thoroughly impressed, however everyone seemed excited about the victory celebrations that were to be held that night.

* * *

_((Green…))_

Ishtar Malik and Ishtar Marik stood silently at the entrance to the temple of She and watched as the figure at the alter finished making their sacrifice. The two male demons simply looked on, not knowing what to expect next.

It was on this day, over ten years ago now, that Akunadin had been executed.

"What's she doing?" Bakura whispered just loud enough for the near identical demons to hear as he silently approached them.

"She's making a sacrifice," Malik answered, he was wearing the deep purple cloak, symbolic of the demon queen's special forces, with his normal attire on underneath, "she wanted to speak to you,"

Ishar Malik and Ishtar Marik stood aside and allowed the legendary warrior room to move towards the figure at the end of the long isle. The temple was built of stone, and was decorated with black drapes hanging from the ceiling, giving the entire hall a tent-like appearance.

Bakura wore his usual attire, consisting of a long blood-red coat which fell all the way to the ground and black leather pants, he would have preferred something cooler, but it was demonic tradition.

The figure rose from their kneeling position, "Ishtar Malik, Ishtar Marik," the female voice called calmly, the two summoned demons quickly stood at attention.

"You may leave, I have no further use for you at the moment," the afore mentioned demons didn't hesitate to leave the premises as swiftly as possible.

The legendary warrior continued walking towards the alter, the closer he got the more obvious the stale smell of blood was to him. He stopped a few meters behind the figure as he realised what she was doing.

"Don't people usually make animal sacrifices?" he questioned.

"Yes, people do usually make animal sacrifices, but this is no usual sacrifice," she answered enigmatically, more so than usual. She adorned her usual deep purple cloak, it covered most of her face, all that was visible was her lips.

There was silence for a moment as the figure turned to face the white haired fiend, "Bakura," she spoke, he said nothing and she placed a hand on his cheek; it was surprisingly soft, not at all the rough surface she had expected. He remained motionless as she guided her thumb lightly over his bottom lip.

Nothing was said yet an entire conversation transpired in those few silent moments, "that's all I needed to know," she removed her hand and sat on one of the black wooden benches, the male demon took a seat next to her.

"Do you know what day it is?" she asked, adjusting her hood at the same time so as to prevent anyone from catching a glimpse of her face.

"No," Bakura answered simply.

"It was on this day over ten years ago now that Akunadin was killed," silence surrounded them again, noises from outside echoed through the hollow hall, light rain drops could be heard splattering on the stone stairs just outside the entrance of the temple.

Neither demon spoke, this time because neither knew what to say, Bakura knew the whole story, about Akunadin's death and how it had impacted the demon seated next to him. He did have one question, but he wasn't sure exactly how appropriate it was considering her sombre mood.

"If I hadn't met him I would never have become the demon queen," she spoke to no one in particular, her voice was smooth, but without its usual malicious edge.

"Did you love him?" the warrior demon asked carefully, he received no answer so he asked again, this time more confidently.

"Did you love him?"

"Did I love him?" she repeated his question and deliberated for a moment over her answer, "yes, I did love him, I loved him as much as I am capable of,"

"Are the rumors about you having his child true?"

Another pause as she considered her answer.

"No," she stopped to find the words before she continued, "they were once, but not now,"

"You lost the child," Bakura stated more than asked.

"The child's life was taken from me," she reconsidered her wording, "from us,"

The legendary warrior took a moment to process what had been said, "it was killed while you were pregnant with it,"

"With him," she corrected, "I was challenged for my title, and I had to defend it, the challenger knew I was pregnant, she lunged at me and I didn't get out of the way fast enough,"

"Did he love you?" the white hared demon asked, his voice still calm and collected.

"Akunadin… I can't say, I don't know…" she trailed off.

Silence again took hold of the conversation and both parties were still for a moment, then the demon queen gave a pained hiss and pulled up the long sleeves of her cloak. Cuts covered her arms, deep cuts from which blood flowed as easily as water from a river.

"That happens when you make blood sacrifices," Bakura's tone was slightly more aggressive than he had originally intended.

"I know…" the demon queen rose to her feet and moved so she was standing before the alter again. She began almost silently whispering, the male demon had to strain just to catch parts of what she was saying.

"Akunadin, I cannot mourn the deaths of you or our child any longer… I must move on…"

That's it! It suddenly dawned on Bakura why the demon queen had been covering her face, she'd been mourning! But from what he had just heard her mourning finished as of today, so did that mean…

"I've never seen your eyes," the legendary warrior spoke, not really caring if he didn't get an answer "what colour are they?"

The demon queen began walking down the isle, heading towards the door.

"That doesn't answer my question," Bakura spoke confidently.

The female demon gave a small laugh, she slowly removed her hood and smirked at his expression, one of concealed shock. He didn't say a word, all he did was stare at her face, he'd never seen her face before…

"Green,"

* * *

_((A proposal?))_

The crown prince sat in his seat at the conference table, the group of demons gathered were all respected and feared individuals. Yami inspected each person at the table for what must have been the twentieth time, first to his left there was Isis the lead seer, then there was Kaiba Seto the warlord and seated next to him was his wife, Kaiba Mai. Then there was the legendary warrior Bakura, his mother the empress, and finally himself, the crown prince, however there was an extra seat opposite his mother where a certain demon queen should have been seated.

She rarely showed up to meetings, she spent her days stalking around the palace, picking fights with other warriors and training in the arena. The demon queen almost never socialised with people when it wasn't absolutely necessary.

Needless to say it was quite a shock when she made a graceful entrance into the conference room. She was adorned in her usual cloak, with the hood again covering all of her face but her lips.

"Try knocking next time," Isis spat, she had been rather irritable all day, snapping at the slightest objections to what she had been saying.

The demon queen gave a short laugh, "I shall consider it next time," she took a seat at the table, there was silence for a moment before she began to speak.

"I have come to ask her majesty's permission to move out of the royal palace and back into my estate," the demon queen's lips curled into a small amused smirk.

"I have no opposition to your request, however might I enquire as to why this move is necessary?" the empress spoke with practised etiquette, despite her apparent dislike of the demon seated opposite her.

"Did you check your calendar this morning? One would think you'd remember the date of your own brother-in-law's death," the hooded demon spoke smugly towards her superior, any other demon would have been beheaded for such disrespect.

"What does his death have to do with you moving out of the palace?" the mother of the prince did not like where this conversation was heading.

"Nothing, however I am finished mourning, and I wish to distance myself from those responsible for his death," the demon queen's smirk grew in size and malice, all she had to do now was wait for the empress to react. To invoke that reaction the female demon raised her hands to the hood of her cloak and slowly removed it.

Everyone at the table stared in shock, it had been over ten years since the demon queen had last showed her face to anyone. Bakura however, studied her face more closely this time, he wanted to be able to remember it.

The demon queen looked much younger than he had thought she would, her skin was pale and her lips were a deep scarlet red, she had a petite nose and straight black hair which fell just below her jaw line. Her eyes were sharp and cunning, they had the appearance of a predator which was about to pounce on it's prey, and were an envious shade of green.

All together her face was very striking, each of her features was sharp and in proportion with the others. The legendary warrior had been expecting her face to bare scars from all of her battles, or wrinkles from her age, however she had neither, her face was rather attractive.

"You filthy harpy!" the empress spat, disgusted with the demon queen's display.

"I'd rather be a harpy than a fool," her smirk grew in size as she paused for a moment, "maggot,"

This was all the empress needed to be pushed over the edge, she lunged over the table and tackled the green eyed demon to the ground. The demon queen managed to kick the empress off her, both female demons quickly recovered from the attack and were on their feet ready to strike again.

Mai and Isis rushed to the empress's side, holding her back and trying to reason with her, she was easily persuaded out of an onslaught. However it took both Kaiba and Bakura to hold back the demon queen, who would not be talked out of a fight. The legendary warrior ended up wrapping his arms around her to prevent her from moving while the warlord attempted to reason with her.

Isis snorted at Bakura's interaction with the demon queen and dismissed it, trying not to show her jealousy.

It was a few moments before all demons were seated again, the demon queen was obviously in the mood for a fight and was willing to provoke people to get it. The empress pulled a few loose hairs behind her ears, attempting to cover up the results of her rash actions.

"As I was saying," Isis shot an irritable look at the intruding female demon before continuing. "There is much reason to be suspicious of the angel's sudden hospitality, they have offered to host the visiting demon party for as long as necessary, I believe it is a trap,"

"So what if it is a trap?" the demon queen spoke, the room was so quiet that if a pin had been dropped the echo would have been deafening. "Have you forgotten who the stronger of the two species is? Might I propose taking a small group of guards and passing them off as court dignitaries,"

"And where would we find such guards?" the seer had been in a bad mood, and the entrance of the green eyed female had only made it worse.

"My elite forces could easily pass off as court officials, most of them are involved in court matters anyway,"

Isis quietly hissed, she knew that this plan of action would be used, but she had hopped that it would have been somebody else to have suggested it.

"I have foreseen that this is the plan that will be used," the seer said sulkily.

"Very well," the empress said coldly, "we shall use that plan of action,"

Isis quickly stood from her seat "if that is all your majesty, I must attend to my paperwork,"

"Yes that will be all for today," the empress rose from her seat as did everyone else in the room, Isis was the first to leave, closely followed by Kaiba Seto and Kaiba Mai.

The legendary warrior looked back at the green eyed demon, who nodded, he exhaled heavily and exited the room.

"My prince," the demon queen spoke respectfully, "might I request an audience with you?"

Yami was caught slightly off guard by her tone, "yes, of course," he had a good guess at what it was about.

"Yami, I need to have a word with you first," the empress stepped outside the room and gestured for her son to join her.

Once they were out of the other demon's earshot the prince asked, "what did you want?"

His mother sighed, "the demon queen has reverted back to the way she was before Akunadin was killed, be careful around her, she's unpredictable and has a temper worse than Bakura's," she paused for a moment, "never turn your back on her, that was your father's fatal mistake, don't make the same mistake as your father," the empress softly placed a kiss on her son's forehead, there was a moment for silence, then the empress walked past her son and down the hallway.

The crown prince stepped back into the room, the demon queen was seated at one of the chairs at the table, she motioned for him to join her, "I wanted to speak with you in regards to you letter,"

"Yes, I guessed as much," Yami said casually and too a seat opposite her.

"I understand why you would make such a proposition, but it would look very suspicious, I am more than twice your age," the green eyed woman watched the prince closely for his reaction.

And he didn't disappoint, "love doesn't take age into consideration," he spoke in a smug voice.

"I see," she thought for a moment, "smart answer prince, I shall accept your proposal, however we can't announce our intentions just yet,"

"Why not? It would be such a shame to keep everyone else in the dark," the prince knew why not, but he wasn't really in a cooperative mood, and felt like irritating the other demon ever so slightly, which he did quite well.

"Because then it would look like you are trying to compete with the warlord, we should wait for a while, and see what happens with the angel peace treaty," with that said the demon queen vacated her seat and moved towards the door.

She stopped for a moment, "this is only a diplomatic marriage prince,"

"Of course it is, generally I don't go for demons who are old enough to be my mother," Yami spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice, this whole situation was rather ironic.

"Imagine what your father would think if he heard you saying that," the green eyed demon smirked and left the room.

* * *

_((Well, that's a bit out of character…))_

The demon queen smirked as she silently stalked Bakura down the corridor, she waited until he was standing still, then she struck.

She leapt off the ground and landed on his back with amazing accuracy, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her hands grabbed onto his shoulders for balance, "you're going the wrong way!" she screeched.

"What are you doing?" the legendary warrior half shouted.

"Just thought I'd surprise you," she smirked.

"Why?" he asked, he could honestly say he hadn't seen that move coming.

"Because I happened to be walking down the same corridor, and I realised that I never introduced myself properly,"

"You didn't introduce yourself at all," Bakura reminded her.

"My apologies," she said sarcastically, "my name is Tora Yuri, pleasure to meet you Bakura,"

"Tora Yuri…" the legendary warrior repeated to himself, "Tiger lily, a fitting name,"

"Yes, I think one of my parents was a florist, although I'm not quite sure, it's been so long I don't remember,"

"Going senile in your old age?" the male demon taunted.

She shrugged if off, "it happens to the best of us," she paused for a moment, "have you ever seen my estate?"

"No, I don't believe I have," Bakura answered.

The demon queen grabbed his head and twisted it in the opposite direction, "then that's where you're going now,"

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_ _

* * *

_

Reviews (for chapter seven):

Kayrana- meh, writers block gets to the best of us...

mechante fille- I think I may have given away some of my plans in this chapter...

Yami Val- well if you want to see Yami and Yuugi meet then keep reading, I'm getting really close to that part of the story!

* * *

TK: unfortunately I got no reviews for the last chapter, so it's going to go back to the way it was before, **5 REVIEWS THEN I UPDATE! **I'm sorry, but I really need the feed back!

SK: R'n'R

TK: Later!


	10. Tora Yuri, part II

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_Just when it seems that things couldn't get more complicated_

_a new alliance is formed,_

_it places the prince in a bad situation_

_and the legendary warrior in an even worse sitiuation...

* * *

_

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter ten

* * *

_((Would she?))_

Kaiba Seto sat at the desk in his room sifting through papers, not really paying attention to what he was doing. He heard the door to his private bathroom open, Mai stepped out covering herself with a bathrobe. She sat on the edge of their shared bed and began the painstaking task of brushing her hair.

"Are you actually doing anything?" the blonde asked, "or do you just sit there looking important?"

The warlord gave an amused smirk, "sometimes I wonder…"

"You know," Mai said cautiously, "I think Yami might be catching on to our agreement,"

"So? What do you want me to do about that?" the blue eyed male spat, he didn't like being reminded about the down side to their agreement.

"I think he's going to try to gain more political power than you," she spoke quietly.

Kaiba scoffed, "that's impossible,"

"There is one way…"

The warlord stopped dead in his tracks, "are you serious?"

Mai didn't need to speak, her worried expression told her answer, "but that's suicide for him… she'd never agree!"

"The empress saw him writing a letter the other day while she was walking past his room, she is concerned about him too," the blonde woman stopped brushing her hair and looked at her husband.

"If she agrees, it would work to her benefit more than him, it would virtually make her empress, and everyone knows that's the position she wants," Seto pushed his chair away from his desk.

"Once she's empress she'll kill Yami…" Mai trailed off as strangled sobs made their way through her throat.

Kaiba rolled his eyes at first, but the noises wouldn't go away, so he begrudgingly got up, sat down on the bed next to Mai and placed his arms around her shoulders, willing her to shut up.

"She can't kill him, if she does she'll kill her only claim to the throne," the warlord paused for a moment, "even if she kills him after she's become empress, she'd be trailed for treason, and found guilty,"

The violet eyed woman wiped away her tears, "I hope you're right,"

_

* * *

((What next?))_

A white haired male stood in the middle of a rather rustic looking courtyard. It was enclosed by a small veranda which lead into various parts of the large house, the outer walls looked as though they had once been a white colour, it was obvious that the dwelling had seen better days, there were small cracks along the columns holding the roof over the veranda and the whole establishment was an off white colour, however all this put together didn't make the place look run down. Rather it created a majestic aura around the house, it looked like something out of a children's picture book.

He was standing in the middle of a small path, before him was what had once been a small water feature, a simple fountain, which was lacking in water; it only had a small puddle at the bottom of it with marks along the edges showing where water had once been. The grass looked worn by the sun, it was slightly over grown and covered the edges of the path. There were what looked like they had once been neatly kept gardens along two edges of the square courtyard, climbing plants were hanging on to the cracked columns for dear life.

"It's a shame you had to see it in this state," the feminine voice came from the veranda before the male, he lifted his gaze to see the owner of the estate leaning on one of the columns for support.

The female demon shook her head almost sadly, "it used to be quite beautiful, Akunadin had it renovated for me, looking at it in retrospect I suppose white was not the wisest choice of colour," she walked down the path and stood opposite the male demon, with only the small decrepit fountain separating them.

"Did he ever live here?" the man asked, he inspected the area around him whilst waiting for an answer.

"Akunadin? No, he used to live on his estate south of here, then later he over took the palace and lived there until he was executed by Akunamukanon," she smirked, "follow me, there is something out the back that would probably be of interest to you,"

The male warrior silently followed the woman through her house and out onto a large covered balcony, from which there were stairs proceeding down to the ground. He noticed that the ground out here was strangely flat, almost as though it had been intentionally made that way.

There were small statuettes around the place, scattered in between domestic shrubs and trees with branches and leaves that looked like beaded curtains, which made them look as though they were weeping. The whole garden was very sombre, most of the statues had vines climbing up them and gripping them in a strangling hold.

"Take a close look at that stone over there," the demon queen instructed, Bakura looked at her quizzically for a moment, before following her instructions and inspecting the specified stone.

Probably the first and most striking thing he discovered about this stone was that it was actually a headstone for a grave. The second thing was that on removing some of the vines and making the occupant's name visible he discovered that he had known the person to whom the headstone belonged. The final thing he noticed about the locality of the headstone was that there were multiple headstones; the whole area was a graveyard.

"Take a look around Bakura," Tora Yuri smirked, "every demon queen that ever reigned has been buried here,"

He'd heard rumours about this, but he'd thought that they were only rumours, "does Kaiba's wife know?" he asked.

"Probably not, this place has been kept a secret from most of the court, it's not something everyone should know about," the demon queen paused, "during the war many of the bodies were exhumed, decapitated, and then buried again, the king told everyone who knew about this place that he had relocated all of the bodies and that the demon queens would no longer be buried here, and would live at court rather than on this estate,"

"So why are you here?"

"The demon king is dead, only a select group of people knew about this place to start off with, and only one of them is still around…" the woman smirked maliciously, "but he will be taken care of soon enough,"

The legendary warrior thought on this for a moment, "… Kaiba, he's the only one that still knows… and you intend to get rid of him…"

Her smirk widened, "precisely,"

"But how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

"Don't you worry, my plans are in motion, you'll know what he's got coming to him soon enough,"

_

* * *

((Family reunion? Sort of… I guess…))_

"Kaiba!"

"Kaiba! Where are you?"

"KAIBA!"

"I don't think he's here…"

"Where else would he be?"

"In his room?"

"You want to try going in there, he just got married, what exactly is it you think married couples do on their wedding night?"

"Well if you knew he'd be in his room then why are we looking for him here?"

"Because I feel like going through the warlord's stuff, is that such a crime?"

"No, I guess not… you think he'd mind if I used his quill?"

"Go ahead, it's not like he's here to stop you,"

"Okay…"

"KAIBA!"

"I thought you said Kaiba isn't here,"

"He's not,"

"So why are you still yelling?"

"I feel like yelling, and I figured I should probably have an excuse if anyone asks why,"

"Good point… KAIBA!"

"KAIBA!"

"KAIBA!"

"Alright, alright that's enough," Ishtar Malik scolded Ishtar Marik on his rowdiness, despite his own actions moments earlier.

"Why exactly did you want to go through Kaiba's stuff," Marik asked whilst quickly writing with the warlord's quill on a blank parchment, consequently also belonging to the warlord.

"Because I thought he might have some sort of document or official paper stating the demon queen's birthday," Malik answered he paused for a moment, then continued flicking through the warlord's filed papers.

The seated demon shook his head and stopped writing, "not this again, you can't be serious, blackmailing the demon queen?"

"Not blackmailing her," the slightly more intellectual of the two corrected, "I'm just doing a bit of detective work,"

"Malik…" the hollow eyed demon warned.

The said demon moved his attention from the piles of papers he had been examining to what his partner was writing, "what are you doing?"

"I thought I'd leave a letter for the demon queen in her office asking what our next instructions are,"

The standing demon patted his mirror image on the back, "good thinking," he jabbed Marik in the head, "that's using your brain!"

"I won't have a brain to use if you keep that up," the victim rubbed his assaulted forehead and continued writing.

There came a soft knock at the door and both demons looked at the other in horror, "what do we do?" the hollow eyed demon hissed and waited for is partner to come up with a solution.

"We hide," the other demon dove at Marik and shoved him to the ground, unfortunately at the same moment Isis entered the room and stared at the two on the ground in confusion for a moment before gathering her thoughts.

"Malik, Marik…" she trailed off, "what are you doing in here?"

Ishtar Marik said the first thing that came into his head, "cleaning," Ishtar Malik was left to finish the story, "er… yes, we thought that the warlord could use some help cleaning up this place," the pair got up and dusted themselves off.

The seer shook her head, "please tell me you aren't here doing the demon queen's dirty work,"

"You worry too much sister," the hollow eyed demon got up and patted his sister on the back.

"Are you doing the demon queen's dirty work?" she asked again, more irritated this time.

The more intellectual answered their sister's question, "well, we are doing dirty work, but it's not _for_ her… it's about her…"

"What?"

"Don't listen to him," Marik shook his head violently, "I'm taking no part in this, it's all his idea,"

Malik smirked, "I just found a very interesting date, and thought I'd do a bit of 'research', so to speak,"

Isis' expression softened, "brothers, please be careful, she's strong, I don't want to loose you both," she headed back towards the doorway, "I suppose I'll stop by here later, if you run into warlord Kaiba tell him I need to speak with him as soon as possible,"

"Will do," Malik called in response as his sister left the room.

_

* * *

((Guess that's what's next…))_

Tora Yuri stood in the middle of a large sitting room, there were leather couches and an animal skin rug in the middle of the room. Against the wall she was facing was a fireplace and above that was a life sized portrait of the late demon king's brother, Akunadin.

She had instructed her visitor to come inside when he was done inspecting the graveyard at the back of the estate. And that's exactly what he had done.

Bakura stood behind the woman for a moment, he watched her as she gazed at the painting, she didn't cry or yell or laugh, she didn't do anything. She just stood there, observing the painting.

The legendary warrior grew tired of his soundless surroundings and broke the silence, "I thought you said he didn't live here,"

"He didn't," she finally spoke, "I hung it here just before he was executed,"

Neither demon spoke and the silence that had been banished seemed to soundlessly flood back into the room and drown the pair. The demon queen turned to face the legendary warrior, she locked eyes with him and both parties were content to stand like that for what seemed like an eternity.

After a while Tora Yuri approached the male demon without looking away from him, she gently placed her left had on his cheek and traced the scar, "you've never told me how this happened,"

Bakura enclosed the hand on his cheek with his own and softly moved it away, "that's a long story,"

"All good stories are," she smiled knowingly at the warrior.

The female demon wordlessly motioned with her head and pointed to a doorway, the male demon eyed her sceptically for a moment before abiding by her unspoken instructions.

He entered the room and noticed that he had been directed into a bedroom, there was a large four poster bed with deep red sheets. The warrior looked around and noticed that this was the demon queen's bedroom; he could see a dressing table and wardrobe off to one side of the room and an empty photo frame sitting on her bedside table.

Bakura was unable to examine the room further as a sudden weight knocked him onto the bed. He instinctively pulled himself out from under the weight and pinned them to the bed, revealing that it had been Tora Yuri who had forced him down. Surprisingly she made no effort to struggle free of his grasp.

They both remained motionless for a moment, "Before this situation progresses any further I feel obliged to tell you that the prince and I are in what could be called a 'political engagement',"

"So you and the prince are going to get married," the warrior thought on this for a moment, "that would make this situation rather immoral… would it not?"

"I suppose," the demon queen answered dismissively.

Bakura smirked, "how scandalous…" the legendary warrior raised an eyebrow at the female demon below him before closing the distance between them. He captured her lips in a chaste kiss, it lasted only seconds yet it said more than a thousand words coming from those same lips could have.

"Promise me something," the male demon's expression changed to one of mischievousness.

"Like what?" she questioned in a humoured manner.

"That what you and the prince are married, you'll tell him about this in great detail, make sure you really rub it in,"

Tora Yuri eyed the male demon on top of her dubiously "tell him about what?"

Bakura smirked, "you'll see…"

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-

* * *

Reviews:_

Kayrana- you have no idea how much trouble is stirring... and I'll get to Yami and Yuugi meeting, patience... these things take time, I don't want to rush to that bit, I have to mess up their lives some more first! Oo

BlackPanther17- Glad you're enjoying it! Sorry, it takes me a while to update... I'm lazy... hope I didn't ruin any of your Exoticshipping or Yamishipping fantasies... not to worry! There is still hope for Bakura...

Anon.- well... here it is! Leave your name next time, it's really awkward replying to a nameless review...

* * *

TK: I had the most disturbing idea for this story the other day, it was so weird that it scared me, which doesn't happen much... So I've decided that I'm going to give away part of the plot to keep you reading, here it is: **one of the main characters WILL be killed!** If you don't want it to be your favourite character then review and tell me not to kill them... or to kill them, if you're really sadistic... Oo

SK: R'n'R... keep her away from me...

TK: You know you love me! Later!


	11. The morning after

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_The killing has started,_

_but it won't stop here,_

_many more will die by the same hands,_

_the first blood has been shed...

* * *

-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter eleven

* * *

_((Time to wake up…))_

The empress slowly opened to door to her son's bedroom, she smiled at the scene that greeted her.

Her only son was curled up in his bed, the black sheets and blankets were wrapped tightly around him making only the tips of his hair visible. Had she not known it was her son she would have said that it was some large mutated species of caterpillar. But knowing who it was she just smiled, it didn't matter how old he got, he would always be her child.

The early morning son crept through the curtains and illuminated spots on the prince's bed, reaffirming the fact that it was her son and not some impostor.

The empress sat down on the edge of his bed and brushed a few blonde bangs out of his face revealing his peaceful expression. She let out a soft chuckle and whispered softly, "Yami,"

The seemingly lifeless body stirred, "Yami," she whispered again, this time gently shaking his shoulder.

The male demon blinked a few times before attempting to throw the covers over his head and pretend he didn't know it was morning. However the empress caught the covers and pulled them back to expose her son's form, he sat up and snatched his sheets and blankets back.

He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the other demon, "I suppose there is a matter of life and death importance considering you woke me up at such an early hour,"

The empress smiled amusedly and shook her head, "it is well past dawn, and I woke you because an emergency meeting has been called,"

The prince's brow furrowed in confusion, "an emergency meeting? About what?"

"The angels have invited us to their domain, if all goes well we'll be leaving within a week,"

* * *

_((Is it still worthwhile?))_

The early morning light streamed through the curtains and danced across the red covers of the bed. The legendary warrior watched them with some amusement, as he focused his vision and attempted for the third time that morning to wake up.

He recalled the events of the night before as a smirk played across his lips, with his spare hand he brushed his hair back so it wasn't obstructing his vision. His eyes started at the bottom of the bed and made a trail upwards from the dancing lights to the sleeping form in his other arm.

He could see the sleeping figure's torso rise and fall and could feel their breath gliding across his uncovered chest. The legendary warrior gazed at their face, they were different when they were asleep, they weren't aggressive and vengeful, they were… content, and peaceful…

The male warrior smirked again, content and peaceful were not words he would have associated with the other demon before now. How quickly one's whole perspective of another person can change…

The figure brought a hand up to her eyes and rubbed them, attempting to regain some form of conscious thought patterns.

"Bakura…" she mumbled as she gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes. Sleep attempted to reclaim her and she rested her head on the male demon's shoulder as she fought off the nocturnal state.

He smirked and moved the arm he had around her up to brush her short black hair out of her face, "still tired?" he said mockingly.

She grunted and contemplated hitting the warrior, but decided against it, she was too tired to lift her arm. And even if she did by some miracle manage to lift her arm it would not faze the warrior in the slightest and he'd probably laugh at her. That thought managed to put her off the idea entirely.

"Hmmm…" was all she could manage to verbalise as she shifted her position slightly and began drifting off to sleep again.

There was a soft knock at the door and the demon queen was roused from her shallow slumber.

"And who would that be?" the legendary warrior looked at the female demon in his arms.

"No one too threatening, probably just one of the maids," she said calmly, she quickly pulled the covers up to make sure she was completely covered and called for them to come in.

A petite demon with blonde hair framing her face entered the room; she was wearing a plain black dress that went down to her mid-calves, the maid's uniform. She had sapphire blue eyes and was rather short, but made up for that with her exceptionally large breasts.

The legendary warrior stared at her for a moment before he realised who the other demon was, she had been the one who showed him where the demon queen was waiting for him. That was the first time he had met Tora Yuri, the first time he had found out about the female warrior's plans.

The petite woman's expression soured the second she realised that the demon queen was not alone. And she looked about ready to cry when she recognized who the male demon was.

"What is it Aki?" the black haired woman snapped.

"I just wanted to inform you that an emergency meeting has been called at the palace, I instructed the messenger to tell the empress that you would be a bit late," her voice held a hint envy when addressing the other female.

"Very well, that is all," the blonde woman bowed and closed the door behind her.

Tora Yuri propped herself up on her elbows and stared at Bakura, "looks like I'm going to have to make my leave,"

The legendary warrior held her chin with his index finger, they remained like that for a moment. The demon queen planted a soft kiss on the male demon's lips – much more gentle than the kisses they had exchanged the night before - then rolled onto her back and slid out of bed.

Tora Yuri grabbed her dressing gown, which happened to be black and wrapped it around her. She then proceeded to search the wardrobe for a suitable garment, despite the startling similarity between all of the clothes she seemed unable o find an appropriate outfit.

Bakura chuckled to himself, "do you always have this much trouble choosing what to wear?"

"Only when you're here," came her quick reply, she paused for a moment then continued to search her wardrobe whilst talking, "the bathroom is just through there," she pointed to a door on the wall to the left of the bed.

"Are you trying to suggest something?" the male demon raised an eyebrow at her, he was still half sitting half lying in the bed, not really wanting to have to get up.

She stopped for a moment to think, "yes, you need to take a bath every once in a while," she tossed him another black dressing gown, much bigger than hers.

"Put that on for the moment," she removed herself from the wardrobe, "wouldn't want you scarring the maid,"

The legendary warrior quickly got out of the bed and shoved the robe on, he watched curiously as the demon queen walked over to the door leading into the lounge room.

"You want proof that an alliance with me is worth you time?" she asked in an almost inaudible whisper, it was intended to be a hypothetical question no doubt, "then watch closely,"

She opened the door to reveal the blonde haired demon looking somewhat panicky at her current predicament. The woman had obviously been eavesdropping on their conversation. The demon queen smirked at the woman's discomfort, she let out a low chuckle.

"What's wrong Aki? You look quite pale?" when no answer was received Tora Yuri's smirk grew in size.

The blue eyed demon took a step back, but it was too little too late. When the tension became too much the petite woman made a run for it, but she was caught by the demon queen before she had a chance to get away. The legendary warrior listened as he heard one of them hit the floor with a loud thud, then were a few grunts and bangs, and then there was silence.

Bakura walked outside the bedroom and observed the scene before him, he couldn't say that it particularly disturbed him, he had seen it all the time on the battle field, but never had he seen it done in a home. He walked over and looked down at the girl's body.

The blonde girl's eyes were wide with horror and her lips slightly parted as if to try and tell someone what had happened. Small red dots were splattered all over her pale lifeless face, they became more frequent and larger the closer they got to the girl's throat.

There was a large space were the blonde's throat and windpipe should have been, blood was gushing out of the fatal wound in rivers and travelling down the sides of her neck, onto the floor.

"Disgusting," Tora Yuri commented flippantly, she dropped the large mass of flesh in her right hand which landed next to its owner. She watched the girl bleed for a moment longer, "now my floor is all dirty," her brow furrowed in annoyance as she turned and headed for the bathroom.

Bakura waited a moment longer, the maid's end had been swift and fierce, he was quite impressed with the brutality of the murder. The demon queen was obviously as merciless as he had been told, quite the ally in times of war. He smirked to himself and made his way back to the bedroom and through to the bathroom where he found Tora Yuri already scrubbing the blood away from underneath her nails.

The bathtub was quite large, but not as big as the one at the palace. It was the size of a small swimming pool, but not as deep. There were pearly white bubbles floating on the surface and giving the whole room a rather fragrant aroma, it smelled like a combination of different flowers.

The male demon removed his dressing gown and lowered himself into the bath beside the demon queen, "so this is what you do when emergency meetings have been called?" he said mockingly.

"I don't like being rushed," she said calmly, "if I'm rushed then I tend to forget things, and if I forget things then I end up taking twice as long as I would've in the first place, because I have to remember what it was that I forgot," she gave the other demon a humoured look, "and it is quite challenging trying to remember something that has already been displaced from you memory,"

Bakura chuckled to himself, "I can imagine,"

_

* * *

((Those two again…))_

"Where is she?" Ishtar Malik paced up and down the hallway outside the meeting room impatiently.

"Calm down, when has she ever been on time?" Ishtar Marik questioned, "she's probably taking her time at breakfast or something, now that she's back in her estate who knows what she's doing,"

Word had spread quickly of the demon queen's relocation; it had caused quite a stir in the court. However just as the facts had spread, so had rumours. Some people were saying that she was involved with someone, others were saying that she was planing to overthrow the monarchy, and the rest were convinced that she knew something incriminating about the empress that they didn't.

Which of course only made them want to know more.

Malik stopped his restless pacing for a moment "do you think any of the rumours are true?"

The other demon shifted his deep purple cloak slightly, it had been sitting awkwardly on his shoulders, "why? They don't affect us anyway, do they?"

"They might," the pacing demon leaned against the wall with his partner, "you know how much times she's been spending with Bakura?"

"Yes…" Marik trailed off, unsure if he wanted to hear the end of it.

"It makes one wonder what exactly they are doing whilst spending so much time together, and funnily enough I saw them both leaving the palace yesterday afternoon, and neither of them has been seen around here since,"

The slightly taller of the two looked somewhat confused, "how did you manage to see them, I haven't seen the demon queen for weeks now,"

"Despite what it may look like I don't spend every second of every day with you Marik,"

The other demon folded his arms across his chest and exhaled heavily, "so how does this affect us again?"

"If she decides that she trusts him more than us, who's going to be out of the job?"

Marik thought about this for a moment, "us?"

"Exactly,"

_

* * *

((Hmmm… better not get caught…))_

The demon queen accompanied by the legendary warrior stalked quietly down the corridor leading up to the meeting room.

"Okay, the story is that we were training and had to clean up afterwards," Tora Yuri looked at Bakura, who nodded in response.

They turned a corner and spotted Malik and Marik leaning against the wall. When Ishtar Malik noticed the female demon he quickly pushed off the wall and quietly explained the situation.

"The angels have agreed to meet with the demon monarchy; they've invited us to their domain to discuss the peace treaty,"

The black haired woman nodded, "thank you, Malik Marik, you are dismissed for the rest of the day, I have to catch up on paperwork after this,"

The two members of the elite forces bowed respectfully and began walking down the corridor.

"Wait," the demon queen called, both demons stopped, "there is a mess in the main hallway of my estate, make sure it is discretely disposed of, then both of you can have the day off,"

The pair bowed again and wasted no more time in escaping the confines of the castle, neither one wanting any more work.

Bakura and Tora Yuri entered the meeting room, there was a large rectangular table with one seat at both of the short sides. The empress was seated at the head of the table and her son occupied the seat to her right, both of them were engrossed in conversation with the other important figures present.

Isis was in a highly unusual mood, she was obviously very angry about something, her rage seemed to be radiating off her. It was quite a sight.

The demon queen took her usual seat opposite the empress and the legendary warrior sat to her left.

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin," the empress spoke and silence fell over the table. "As you all know this meeting has been called to address issues concerning the angels,"

Everyone at the table nodded in agreement with the statement and waited wordlessly for the ruler's next statement.

The legendary warrior was staring blankly at the empress, he wasn't terribly interested in the decision making process. He didn't care which way it went, as long as he was told what was happening it didn't matter.

Bakura was busy thinking about all of the reasons why he shouldn't have to sit through the meeting when he felt the fingertips of another demon caress the palm of his hand. He looked at the demon queen, who kept her gaze fixed ahead, but smirked in response to his unspoken question. He took her hand in his and the pair both had to withhold very out of character smiles.

The legendary warrior smirked to himself, if this was what these meetings were going to be like from now on, he might just learn to tolerate them.

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

* * *

Reviews:

BlackPanther17- ... looks like he did end up getting seduced by some weirdo... and yes Ryou will be in this story, but not till later! There will be more of Yami in the next chapter, he was supposed to be the main character... but that doesn't seem to be working too well... and by all means leave me essay length reviews!rant! I happen to be particularly gifted at it, hence the pen name!

Kayrana- thank-you! Well Yami was supposed to be the main character... not that it seems to be working that way...

Sashire- No! Don't do anything drastic! I'd have a bit of trouble killing off Bakura... I can't help it, I'm a fangirl!

* * *

TK: Wow, that was the quickest update in the history of quick updates! It might be a while before I update again, school goes back soon and I don't want to write the next chapter, it's BORING! And sorry if there are any typos or things that don't make sense... I'll re-read this chapter later and fix them up...

SK: R'n'R

TK: Later!


	12. Aki's last rites

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_All is quiet at the palace,_

_This is the calm before the storm,_

_Once they leave there is no turning back,_

_Life for them will be forever altered...__

* * *

_

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter twelve

* * *

_((Haven't seen her for a while…))_

"One potato, two potato, three potato," the competitors glared playfully at each other, "FOUR!" the pair of children screamed. Mytsereu eyed off the male child, he was the son of one of the court nobles, and he had bet that he could beat her at the potato game, which she was determined to win.

"Five potato, six potato, seven potato," they paused for a brief second, preparing themselves to strike "MORE!" both of them pulled out small pocket knife sized blades with their right hands and stabbed at their left hands, which they moved quickly and lodged their blades in the wooden table they were seated at. They pulled their knives out and continued the game.

"Eight potato, nine potato, ten potato," they paused again and pulled their blades out of the table, resting them under the table again "BED!" they shouted and got ready for the final part of the game.

"Eleven potato, twelve potato, thirteen potato,"

"YOU'RE DEAD!" the pair pulled their blades out and stabbed at their opponent's left hand. Both young demons managed to avoid having their hand stuck to the table.

"Ouch," the young boy complained, "you got my finger," he moved his hand onto the table to show a small cut on his left index finger.

The empress and a large group of court officials entered the room where the children were playing, "Come on Mytsereu, your tutor is probably waiting," the young girl pulled her blade out of the table and followed her mother out of the room.

"Did you see that mother?" the young girl questioned.

"I'm afraid I did not," the demonic ruler smiled at her daughter.

"I got him good! I nearly got his hand this time!" Mytsereu exclaimed in excitement.

The empress chuckled quietly to herself, "Calm down, you need to concentrate for your tutor,"

The young princess sighed, "Yes mother,"

_

* * *

((But why?))_

The demon prince walked down one of the many corridors of the palace, he couldn't help but think about what the future may hold.

Now that the angels had agreed to meet with the demon monarchy there was really no telling, the war could very soon be over. Then what?

Without a war the position of warlord was relatively useless, so Kaiba could very soon be out of work. Which was just fine by Yami, he really didn't want to have to marry the demon queen to make sure that Kaiba Seto couldn't become heir to the throne.

The prince turned a corner and wondered what the demon queen's motives for agreeing to his proposal were. He had originally thought that she just wanted to outdo the warlord because they had never been on the best terms. But now that he had time to himself to think about it, perhaps there was another reason.

He had often wondered what her life had been like during the war to make her the way she was. The demon queen had been Akunadin's champion, so she probably felt very out of place in the court now. The prince had also wondered if the female demon had any children, she had never openly admitted that she did, but she never openly admitted anything.

And it would put her children in danger if anyone found out who their mother was, so keeping them hidden would be the best plan of action. Supposing she did have a child, and supposing her child was a son, it would explain why she changed her mind so quickly. The demon queen had gone from trying to kill the prince to agreeing to marry him in a matter of months. Both these plans ultimately placed her (and any child she may have) in a position of power.

Thinking of children brought up another pressing matter, if Yami were to marry the demon queen, they would be expected to produce an heir.

The thought made the young male shudder, not exactly his idea of fun. He wondered if this thought had already occurred to the demon queen, it was unlike her to miss something which could threaten her power. If she didn't give birth to an heir after the first few years of the marriage people would begin to gossip about problems in the royal family, which would destabilise the dynasty.

Perhaps that was her plan, but then she would also suffer, as she would be part of the family. It was a very confusing, and rather unfortunate, situation the prince found himself in. He wished that he could get a second opinion on the whole scenario, but to do that he'd have to confess that he was engaged to the demon queen.

Yami felt a sudden impact in his stomach and was knocked off balance by the unknown force. He regained his balance and looked down to find a young girl, no more than twelve. She had short black hair which curved inwards just underneath her jaw line with deep purple highlights at the bottom and eyes which were an envious shade of green.

The girl gave him a look of sheer horror before darting off down the corridor he she had just come from. Curiosity got the better of the prince and he sped off down the hall after her, he had never seen a child run so quickly before, not even Mytsereu was that fast.

_

* * *

((Funnily?))_

Ishtar Malik and Ishtar Marik landed at the front of the demon queen's estate, they folded their wings, but didn't completely retract them. The pair gazed at the rather large gate marking the entrance to the fabled dwelling of the demon queen. They were rather antique looking, like the rest of the estate.

The demons began walking down the path to the residence, neither one spoke, they both knew what was waiting for them.

This was not the first time they had had to clean up after an 'accident'. There had been many such occasions, funnily enough most of them had occurred in the main hallway of the house.

_

* * *

((Best not to tell then…))_

Isis stormed down one of the many corridors of the palace, she was not in the mood to speak with anyone, least of all the demon who was following her.

"Isis!" he shouted after her, but to no avail. Sick of pursuing her he stopped, "I'm not going to chase after you!" he shouted so she could hear, "I'm willing to talk, but you have to stop!"

The seer paused for a moment, she contemplated her options, then stalked back to where he was and slapped him square across the cheek.

The demon raised an eyebrow at her, unfazed by her sudden outburst, "What was that for?"

"What do you think Bakura? I warned you! I told you she was trouble! And what do you go and do?" Isis was screeching by the end of her statement.

The legendary warrior brushed a strand of his white hair to the side, "What is your problem? Why are you so concerned about what I choose to do?"

The female demon went to yell her response, but stopped suddenly.

"What?" the other demon spat, "If you have something to say, then say it,"

Isis drew in a deep breath, she answered in a much quieter voice than she had before, "Because I care about you Bakura, I don't want to see you dead,"

The white haired fiend was taken back by the woman's statement. He wasn't quite sure how to take it, "What's that supposed to mean?" he hissed.

"It means…" the blue eyed woman tried desperately not to blush but didn't succeed, luckily her tanned skin hid most of it. "It means that…" she shook her head, this wasn't going to work, "It means that I consider you to be a friend, and I don't want to loose another friend to her,"

This seemed to satisfy the warrior, Isis exhaled heavily and watched as he turned and walked away without saying another word. She sometimes wondered how he would react if she just told him how she felt… She smiled sadly and shook her head.

He'd probably kill her in her sleep.

_

* * *

(('Special of the day' indeed…))_

The scene was quite typical.

It was what Malik had once jokingly referred to as the demon queen's 'special of the day'.

One couldn't quite tell if she had been strangled, suffocated, choked. Or a bizarre combination of the three.

A small group of maids and cooks had gathered around the body in disbelief. Yes many people had been killed in the exact same manner, but never someone so close to the demon queen.

One girl was sobbing over the dead body, she had similar features to the deceased demon, she looked up when she heard the pair of male demons enter.

"Malik," She flung herself at the familiar male demon and clung tightly to him, fearful to let go.

Ishtar Malik attempted to comfort the distraught woman and moved her away from the site of commotion. Marik moved in to inspect the damage.

"It was awful Malik," the girl sobbed onto his shoulder.

Malik sat her down on one of the couches in the living room, "It's okay, Aika" he felt rather awkward comforting her, but attempted it anyway. When she began to calm down he decided to start asking questions, "What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure how it started, I walked into the hallway and saw her lunge at Aki," the girl chocked back tears, she tensed up for a moment and shouted "Look what she did to her!"

"Okay, calm down," the male demon managed to get Aika to sit down again, the female demon wiped the tears from her cheeks. Malik wasn't quite sure what to say, Aika and Aki had been sisters, the pair had looked alike ever since they were young and as a result were very close.

"What if she comes back early?" Aika almost whispered.

Malik shook his head, "Don't worry, she'll be held up at the palace for quite a while, she told Marik and I that she intends to catch up on paperwork for the rest of the day," This seemed to bring some sort of relief to the distraught girl.

"What happened this time?" Marik asked the head chef.

The male demon shook his head, "I'm not entirely sure, there was no argument, no screaming match, nothing. She just ran after Aki and then…"

"Do you have any idea why she lashed out this way?" the tanned demon wisely avoided using the demon queen's name.

Again all the chef could do was shake his head, "No, it was all quiet, all we could hear was her talking to a man, then she opened the door and found Aki standing there. They both waited for a moment, then Aki ran and she chased her down the hallway…"

_

* * *

((Who do we have here?))_

The small girl quickly dashed into the office and slammed the door shut behind her.

"What is it?" The woman seated at the desk asked only looked up briefly to check who her visitor was.

The child spoke in a panicked tone "I think the Prince saw me."

_

* * *

-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-

* * *

Reviews:_

BlackPanther17 - Meh, long reviews are good reviews! It gives me something to do... I have no life... _Anyway_, don't you worry about Tora Yuri and Bakura, I have plans! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!

Kayrana - Crazy? Compared with the characters in this story you are perfectly sane... I think this is the slowest update ever, in the history of this story, and the chapter wasn't even that long... ah well...

Sashire - Don't like Tora/Bakura huh? Bet you're glad they didn't come into this chapter then...

* * *

TK: YEAH!!! I'M ON HOLIDAYS!!! And I have dedicated these holidays to finishing this story!!!

SK: Wonderfull... sarcasm now I have to associate myself with you more often... /sarcasm

TK: Quiet you! R'n'R! LATER!


	13. A change of plan

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_Family members are lost,_

_And others are gained,_

_Bonds are formed that will last a lifetime,_

_Survival my depend on their endurance..._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter thirteen

* * *

_((Getting aquainted?))_

Mai tugged on the side of her dress, she could never get the longer dresses to sit properly, it irritated her to think that she would be meeting the angels for the first time looking completely tacky. She looked over at her husband and couldn't help but notice that his sash was sitting awkwardly.

Less than half the party travelling to the angel's domain were present, the carriages that would transport them were being loaded and most were off saying goodbyes to family and friends.

"Be careful with those, they contain important legal documents!" Kaiba shouted at one of the men loading their belongings onto the roof of a carriage.

Mai toyed with one of her blonde curls as she surveyed her surroundings, unamused by anything within eyeshot she turned to her husband.

"How much longer should this take?" she asked.

Kaiba Seto hissed in annoyance, "I don't know," he responded through gritted teeth.

The blonde woman eyed Kaiba suspiciously, he didn't usually get so uptight about things like this, "What's got you all worked up?"

"Business dealings with Ishtar Malik and Ishtar Marik," Kaiba answered shortly.

Mai rolled her eyes, "I shudder to think…"

* * *

Kaiba Seto looked up from his pile of papers on hearing the door click, and suddenly wished that he hadn't.

"Kaiba! Just the man I wanted to see," Ishtar Malik leaned on the edge of the warlord's desk while his counterpart rested his elbows on Kaiba's work, blocking any distraction.

"What do you two want?!" the blue eyed demon snapped.

"In a bad mood, are we?" Malik smirked, "Not to worry, we've got news to cheer you up!"

"What?"

Marik grinned, "The demon queen has requested an audience with you before we depart for the angel's domain,"

The warlord rolled his eyes in annoyance, "I've told you before I don't want to speak to that-"

"Before you go calling her names," Malik interrupted, "I think you should know she told us you would be very interested in what she had to say, and that it would be to your advantage,"

"What kind of advantage?" Kaiba eyed the tanned males with scepticism.

Ishtar Malik's smirk broadened, "She said it's the information you need to secure you rightful place as crown prince,"

The second tanned demon lowered his face to the brown haired male's level, "She also said that you've been looking for this for a long time, and she has the legal documents to prove it,"

The warlord leaned back in his chair, "Then tell the demon queen I shall grant her an audience the morning of our departure in the main conference room,"

* * *

"Hmm…" Kaiba trailed off, "I have a meeting to attend before we depart, I'll be back soon," with that said he turned at headed back to the palace.

"Wait!"

The blue eyed male watched as his wife approached him with a strange expression, he raised an eyebrow questioningly which only made her smile, "Your sash isn't straight," she swiftly corrected the warlord's wardrobe and took a step back.

Kaiba looked slightly dumbfounded, "… Thanks…" he muttered.

* * *

_((Wait for the right time...))_

Yami watched the commotion from the window of one of the spare bedrooms, he didn't particularly want to go down there, but he did want to know what was going on. He had been avoiding the demon queen for the past week, he didn't want to get into a discussion about their 'political engagement' until after things with the angels were settled.

The prince watched Kaiba walk back inside the palace, he had been acting out of character lately, so had the demon queen, and Isis, and Bakura. Heck, most of the people living in the palace were acting strangely.

It was assumed by most that they were just on edge about the situation with the angels. But Yami knew these people better than that, this was like any other battle for them, something else was going on.

The young male sat by the window and contemplated his next move, he'd been doing a lot of this lately. Now didn't seem like the best time for action.

The prince wondered if the demons were acting out of character for the same reason, or as a result of the same thing. His mother still viewed him as a child, so if anything was going on, he wasn't going to get anything out of her. The demon queen couldn't tell the truth to save herself and information coming from either Kaiba or Bakura could be misleading.

That narrowed down his sources of accurate information.

He could ask Isis, but she had been fuming at the meeting earlier that week, and she hadn't shown any signs that she'd calmed down. Ishtar Malik and Ishtar Marik were completely untrustworthy, but reliable if they didn't know you were listening.

The red eyed demon smirked as he recalled the conversation he had overheard between the elite guards and the warlord. The demon queen was making more plans behind his back, perhaps she still intended to kill him, or perhaps there was another point that he was missing.

And he couldn't help but think about the child he had run into in the halls earlier that week. She looked to be about the same age as Mytsereu, but he'd never seen her around the palace before. Thinking about Mytsereu made the young prince wonder were his younger sister was, and as if to answer his thought she made an appearance.

Albeit not exactly the appearance he had expected, seeing as she was running down the halls naked with a hoard of maids chasing after her holding dresses and bows. She was going through a phase where she had decided clothes were an unnecessary addition, it was fortunate that the maids were paid to do these types of things, else the empress would be chasing her youngest child. The thought of it made Yami laugh quietly to himself.

But it was unfortunate that not all of his dealings were as amusing as his younger sister. He wondered why everyone was acting so out of character, and why this child was bugging him, and when things would go back to normal… If they had ever been that way.

Nothing seemed to fit together, the prince couldn't make heads or tails of his current situation. Only time would tell…

* * *

_((You came?))_

Kaiba Seto entered the conference room, he quietly closed and locked the door.

"You decided to come," the demon queen said in an amused voice. She was wearing her cloak again, it cast a shadow over her face making only her lips visible.

Kaiba smirked, "Gone back into mourning?"

She scoffed, but she didn't sound angry, on the contrary she sounded almost nervous "Hardly," she paused momentarily, "We're about to leave for the angel's domain, I still have a few places to visit,"

"So why did you need to see me if you are so busy?" the warlord leaned his weight on the edge of the long table in the middle of the room.

The woman smirked, she pulled what appeared to be a document out form under her cloak, "I think you might be interested in this," she showed him just enough to perk his interest.

"Where did you find that?" the blue eyed male snapped, he had searched for years for those papers.

"I was cleaning out my office and happened to stumble across them, I thought they might be useful to you, seeing as they are your 'elusive' birth papers,"

It was true that Kaiba had searched for years for the legal documents stating his date of birth and biological parents. He had never known his father, his mother had raised him.

"Well, are you just going to wave those things around or are you going to let me read them?" he asked sarcastically.

"You may read them," the demon queen didn't move, "However, before you do, you should know that Akunadin and I were married before his death,"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"It will make sense soon enough," she laid the papers down on the table but refused to allow them out of her possession yet, "There is a lot about the war that you weren't told, one of his dying wishes was that I tell you,"

Kaiba scowled, "Why would he want me to know about the war? And what could there possibly be that I don't already know?! I was Akunamukanon's champion!" he went to grab the papers, but the demon queen slid them across the table and out of his reach.

"Give me your word that you will not destroy these documents, no matter how much the information in them may grieve you,"

The warlord raised his eyebrow sceptically, "You have my word," he answered after a pause.

"Very well then," she slid the papers towards Kaiba and took a seat at the table, allowing him to read at his own pace.

_

* * *

((Don't let it get away!))_

"Why are we saddling up two horses?"

"Because the demon queen told us to,"

"Why are we saddling up these two horses?"

"Because the demon queen told us to,"

"Why does she need these two horses?"

Ishtar Malik threw down the reigns of the horse he had been holding, "Because she just does! Do you have to question everything?"

"No," Marik said sulkily, "I just wanted to know, that's all,"

"Well do me a favour in the future and don't ask!" Malik threw his hands up in an exasperated manner.

"Malik,"

"WHAT?!"

"Your horse just took off,"

"…"

"…"

"Crap…"

* * *

_((…Family?))_

"WHAT?!" Kaiba shouted, he rose from his seat so forcefully that the chair was knocked over, "How can this be?!"

"Kaiba," the demon queen said in a warning tone, she reached out to him but he shoved her hand away before she could restrain him.

"You…" the warlord trailed off, his head was racing, "You lied to me…"

The female demon shook her head, "No one lied to you,"

The blue eyed male paused for a moment, he still couldn't believe what he had just read, "Did Akunamukanon know?"

"I believe he may have suspected it," the hooded woman leaned on the desk and waited for the warlord's fit of rage to blow over.

"Why did no one tell me?!" he shouted, "Why did Akunadin not tell me?!" Kaiba fell to his knees, he was completely speechless, he tried to say something, anything, but the same thought just kept repeating itself in his mind, "I am partially responsible for my own father's death…"

Tora Yuri, in a rare moment of compassion, knelt down beside the confused warrior, "He was always proud of you, he did what he did because he didn't want you involved in the war," the demon queen paused, "But he was so proud when you became Akunamukanon's champion, because you rose to greatness all on your own, you never needed his help,"

"If I had known…" the brown haired male trailed off, he was beyond tears he was in a state of shock. He had imagined this moment when he was younger, he had dreamed of the day he would meet his father. Now the moment had come, except it had in no way gone the way he had planned it.

"But he didn't want you to know, he felt it was better that way…"

Kaiba rose to his feet again, as did the demon queen. They both straightened their attires and regained all lost dignity, then the warlord came to another shocking discovery.

"Wait… If Akunadin is my biological father, and you married him before his death… that means that… that you are my..."

"Yes, that's why Akunadin wanted me to tell you this,"

Kaiba leaned against the desk for support, "Why did you wait so long to tell me all of this, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I suppose I didn't know how to tell you," they both remained silent for a moment neither party knew how to deal with the situation at hand, much less how to treat to each other as family.

The demon queen was the first to speak, "I am going to visit Akunadin's grave before we leave, you are welcome to accompany me if you wish,"

The warlord thought for a moment, he nodded his head and not another word was spoken as Kaiba followed the demon queen out of the conference room and into the almost silent halls of the palace.

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-__

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_

Reviews:

BlackPanther17 - Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about the OCs just pay attention to the main ones, the rest are extras because I ran out of characters from the show. Yes, Isis likes Bakura... except you didn't see either of them in this chapter... I'll write some more with those two just for you! YAY for long reviews!!! Hahaha, looks like my responses to reviews are getting longer too... Seto and Mai were in this chapter, so you can stop bugging me about them for a while.

Sashire - Isis and Bakura hooking up? ... I might know someone who knows someone who might be able to say something that'd get them talking... or not. Glad you don't dislike females, I happen to be one. Nah, pointless things are the best ones to ramble on about, by all means take up space rambling, amuse me!

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TK: A few momentous occasions to note here, firstly: **Blacked out is one year old!** I didn't realise that on my last update so I figured I'd note it here! Secondly: I have finally begun work on my original story, Iris, that I have been planning for _years _now, check it out and leave a review there for me: http // www . fictionpress . com / s / 2296027 / 1 / (Without the spaces). It should also be noted that a lack of updates here means that I'm probably working on the original fiction, so please bear with me! While you're waiting for updates here, humour me and go read Iris!

SK: R'n'R!

TK: Later!


	14. Depature and Arival

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_A new chapter is beginning,_

_This new world is unknown,_

_And all must be wary,_

_Because to fall now would be death..._

_

* * *

_

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

Chapter fourteen

* * *

_((Enough room?))_

The six of them sat in complete silence, not the kind of silence that was bearable though. It was the kind that, if left to fester, threatened to suffocate all life within a ten metre radius. An awkward silence to be sure.

Yami discretely examined the five people in the same coach as him. Four of them were hooded and the other was Kaiba Mai, so it was safe to assume that one of the hooded demons was Kaiba Seto. That left three people, he recognised one as the demon queen, he had grown quite accustomed to seeing only half her face. The identities of the final two were a complete mystery to the prince, he knew that the demon queen only had one body guard in the carriage with her, so who was the final hooded demon?

Kaiba Mai shifted uncomfortably, she glanced at the prince seated to her left and then at her husband seated to her right. Yami watched this unusual behaviour, unsure of how to interpret it, he wondered if perhaps something was amiss.

"Can you smell that?" Kaiba Seto questioned, "The angelic domain is near,"

"Do I detect fear coming from your direction?" The demon queen spoke jestingly.

Kaiba scoffed, "Hardly, I fear not forces that I could easily overpower,"

"Good, I'd hate to think I had surrounded myself with demons who are less than competent,"

The conversation faded out and the prince was left to wonder what had just happened, had the Demon Queen and the Warlord actually been joking with each other? Something was definitely not right, there was no way that years of fighting between the two could be undone in one morning. They knew something he didn't. Apparently Kaiba Mai had picked up in this fact as well, she continued shifting uncomfortably.

Kaiba Seto continued, undaunted by his out of character interactions with Tora Yuri. "On arrival we will be greeted and then shown to our rooms, Yami, you are expected to remain behind with the Empress to negotiate the fine details of the conditions of our stay,"

The Demon Queen shifted for a moment, she turned to the hooded demon seated to her left, "Malik,"

"Oh, right," he spoke hurriedly and began searching the inside of his cloak. He retrieved three sealed envelopes and handed them to Kaiba Seto and Kaiba Mai and the final hooded demon. The Prince watched as each tucked their letter away, something was definitely not right.

Yami stared out his window, but carefully watched the demon queen out of the corner of his eye. Once she thought he wasn't watching she edged closer to the hooded demon on her right. This was quite unusual behaviour for her. The Prince was beginning to worry about who this mysterious demon was, but there was no way to find out now, he would have to wait until they had arrived at their destination.

* * *

_((Hush, not long now...))_

"Mama, I'm bored," Mytsereu complained, she tugged at her dress and swung her feet over the edge of the seat.

"I'm sure there's not far to go now Mytsereu, just be patient, we'll be there soon," the Empress' words fell on deaf ears as Mytsereu's attention had already shifted on to something else.

The young girl watched her mother begin talking again. There were three other adults and another young child in the carriage, two of the adults she recognised as her mother's advisers, the other was a hooded demon, she couldn't tell who they were, and the child sitting next to them was also hooded.

The Princess clicked her fingers subtly at the other child to get their attention, when they didn't move she waved, then almost silently whispered, "Pssst."

The other child moved their head a little, this gave Mytsereu hope and she continued trying to get their attention.

"Hey," she whispered, "Hey, can you hear me?"

Mytsereu was greeted with a hostile hiss from the other child, "No need to get all grumpy, I just wanted to say hello," the young girl huffed in annoyance.

The other child moved her hands into view and Mytsereu watched as she flexed her claws, moving her fingers just to make sure the Princess got the idea.

She sat back in her seat and the two children spent the rest of the trip in silence.

* * *

_((Understand?))_

"Mama, I'm bored," Mytsereu complained, she tugged at her dress and swung her feet over the edge of her seat.

"I'm sure there's not far to go now Mytsereu, just be patient, we'll be there soon," the Empress assured her youngest child as she focused her attention again on the conversation at hand.

She was in a carriage with two of her advisers and another dignitary with his child. The dignitary was hooded, he wore a dark cloak, as did his child, the two advisers wore black robes with red sashes, and the Empress wore one of her excessively elaborate black dresses. She had always liked these dresses, the reminded her of the fairytales her mother had told her as a child, if she had only known then that one day she would be Empress!

The first adviser spoke, "We are aware that Solomon has two grandchildren, a daughter and a son. Apparently his son's name is-" he was cut off by the Empress.

"Yuugi… Yes, I am quite aware of Solomon's grandchildren, do we know anything more about his intentions, his messenger was very vague with details, is it likely that he is going to attempt to forge a peace treaty?"

The second adviser began speaking, "We can only assume that he wishes to establish some sort of peace treaty or to establish boundaries for the two races, the board could not come up with any other reason for Solomon to summon us to his domain."

"It is as I feared then, the Prince is to be guarded at all times then, I do not want him out of sight, even for a second. Do you understand me? Not for one second."

One adviser dared to speak up, "But surely the Prince is quite capable of defending himself, he has on numerous occasions assisted in putting down uprisings."

"Of course my son can defend himself, that is not what I am worried about, I don't often refuse to justify myself, but as Empress I order that the Prince be guarded at all times, I cannot afford to take any risks."

"Understood Empress."

* * *

_((Don't loose focus now...))  
_

Kaiba Seto dismounted the horse he had been riding, he handed the reigns over to Tora Yuri who pointed to a headstone a small distance off and told him he had as long as he needed.

The Warlord approached the headstone hesitantly, he wasn't sure what to expect, he had never spoken to his father in life, how much harder was it going to be to speak to him now that he was dead?

His blue eyes surveyed his surroundings, he turned to face the Demon Queen, as though she knew he was seeking assurance she spoke, "No one knows of this place, I had my guards bury him here, there is no need to fear, no one will see you."

Seto nodded and closed the distance between himself and the headstone, he knelt next to it and moved some of the creepers that were covering the inscription. He could hear Tora Yuri and the horses approaching, but he was much more interested in what the final words about his father were.

_Akunadin_

_Brother of Motou Akunamukanon and_

_Father of his beloved son,_

_Seto._

How was it that no one had known that Akunadin was his father, yet it was engraved on the man's headstone for anyone who passed by to read.

Seto rose from his kneeling position, "How is it that no one knew?"

"This grave is on privately owned land, it belonged to him before he died." The Demon Queen answered, she handed Seto the reigns of his horse, "The palace is North-East from here, I am going to stay for a while longer, you may leave whenever you wish."

The Warlord took the reigns of his horse and began walking the horse away from the grave. Before mounting the animal again he turned to see Tora Yuri kneeling at the headstone as he had before with one hand on the inscription, what a bizarre combination they must have been. Akunadin, brother of Akunamukanon and Tora Yuri, the demon queen, his champion.

* * *

"Seto," The Warlord snapped out of his musings and turned to face his wife.

Mai whispered, "We're here."

Yami looked out his window at the crowds of angels watching the carriages pull up. He had never seen an angel in their true form before, they all had white feathered wings and were civilly talking amongst themselves.

The Prince was about to start an argument to pass the time when one particular angel caught his eye. She had short brown hair and fair skin, she seemed to be engrossed in conversation with a much shorter angel, Yami had never seen anything quite like her.

She looked up and his eyes locked with the most serene pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen.

And with that their fates were sealed.

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-_

_

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_

Reviews:

BlackPanther17 - Haha, looks like you got your wish with Yami, watch that one... It'll be interesting, I promise! Isis and Bakura? I'll think about it... Maybe...

Kayrana - Glad you think the story is interesting, actually I'm glad the story comes across as interesting, it's just confusing to me! XD

* * *

TK: Uber-sorry about the short chapter, I haven updated in ages and I didn't want to give anything else away in this chatper, don't give up on this story! I will finish it one day!

SK: R'n'R

TK: Later!


	15. Tension within the alliance

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_The time is nearly upon them_

_when loyalties will be tested,_

_Fate is coming..._

* * *

-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-

Chapter fifteen

* * *

_((Patience, it will all be over soon...))_

Bakura shifted his weight from one foot to the other impatiently, he passed time by glaring at a lock of his ghostly white hair which was obscuring his vision, then chuckled to himself as an angel - who thought the fierce warrior had been glaring at him - quickly vacated the vicinity. The legendary warrior surveyed his surroundings for what seemed to be the hundredth time that hour, he and a large group of demons were all crowded into a small sitting room, waiting. They were all restlessly talking amongst themselves or sussing out their environment, a few younger demons had taken to dropping things out of a window nearby on angels below then quickly darting out of view from outside passersby and laughing hysterically once they got away with it.

The only instruction given to the group of demons had been to wait, and wait they had done for the past hour. A group of elite guards were checking the rooms allocated to the visitors to makes sure they were not holding any nasty surprises.

Bakura was leaning his shoulder against the frame of a window, which gave him a perfect view of the conversation occurring below him, between Solomon and the Empress. It also gave him a clear view of the flirtatious glances the young brunette angel was casting in the direction of the Prince, as well as this it gave the warrior a clear view of the inviting smirk Yami responded with, resulting in a furious blush forcing its way into the angel's cheeks.

The legendary warrior felt about ready to gag at the Prince's juvenile antics, and the fact that he was behaving this way around an angel only made it worse. This could only end badly, the warrior began to envision the Prince and the angel suffering multiple fates, each more violent and grotesque than the last.

A hooded demon came up behind Bakura and stood until he noticed them, they then proceeded to lean on the window sill, stare off into the distance and sulk.

"So I take it the search party didn't find anything?" the white haired demon questioned, he had grown quite accustomed to the other demon's scent, he no longer needed introductions.

"Nothing, not even a concealed weapon, these people are a bunch of dolts! Who in their right mind would pass up an opportunity like this? We've come here, to their domain, completely unarmed, and they do nothing! Morons…" Tora Yuri trailed off, she removed her hood and continued staring off into the distance.

Bakura grunted disapprovingly, watching as the Prince and the angel continued their childish games. This seemed to get the Demon Queen's attention and she looked down and spotted the object of the warrior's irritation.

"What's this… How long have they been doing that for?"

"Since we arrived, it's repulsive."

Tora Yuri sighed in defeat, "The angel's may get their peace treaty after all…"

"Let's not assume the worst just yet."

"What cause do we have for optimism? If anything were to happen between those two then…"

Bakura smirked, "Then a few truths will have to be told that will damn any hope these two races ever had for peace."

The Demon Queen shifted her gaze from Yami back to the horizon, "But who would admit to anything? Do you know of a single demon who would sacrifice their own integrity for the sake of their people? That goes against every instinct a demon has. No one would willingly confess to anything of the sort…"

"They may not have a choice," Bakura mused, "It may all be too late…"

"What may be too late? Don't be so cryptic!" Tora Yuri snapped.

"I have to go and speak with Isis." With this said Bakura took one last look at the Prince and left his post at the window. Tora Yuri glared furiously after him, she didn't have to put up with his ridiculous antics. She stood upright, straightened out her cloak and decided to seek out her step son for another much needed chat.

* * *

_((Think, then speak.))_

"I and my people are most thankful for your abundant hospitality," the Empress bowed deeply, "I would very much enjoy speaking further with you, however the journey here has tired me and I need to rest before supper," Masika hoped and prayed that she hadn't just sounded like a blundering fool, for truth be told she was incredibly tired as she had spent the whole night before the journey pacing her room, worrying about everything from their safe passage to how she was going to introduce herself to Solomon.

"I understand, my granddaughter, Anzu, will show you to your rooms, they are near the rest of your party, I assumed you would want to remain close to your people in foreign territory," Solomon smiled while he spoke and gestured for his granddaughter to step forward when he was finished, she obeyed and bowed deeply as a formality to show respect, but probably more to hide her ever reddening cheeks.

"Follow me," Anzu spoke almost inaudibly, her voice was so small the trio of demons there had to strain to hear it. The Empress, Yami and Mystereu all followed after the angel, who navigated her way through the large white halls of the angelic domain, it was quite a sight to behold, each hallway was adorned with white arches and curtains, and portraits of angels who had done great deeds were hung at intervals along the walls.

"Your rooms are here," Anzu gestured to two doors on her left, "My grandfather had one room set up for the Empress and the young Princess…" she trailed off, almost embarrassed to finish her sentence, "and the other for the Prince."

"Thankyou," the Empress quickly ushered Mystereu into their shared room and left Yami alone with the brunette girl.

"You're blushing, is being seen with me that embarrassing?" The Prince teased.

"Oh… No, no, not at all… I just… well, I er… That is…" Anzu stuttered, she wasn't usually this scatterbrained. She could have kicked herself for her behaviour, if word of this got back to her grandfather words wouldn't be able to describe how disappointed he'd be.

"Do all angels stutter as much as you?" Yami hesitated, that had come out much harsher than he had intended it, he could clearly see that the angel had been quite hurt by it, she dropped her eyes to the ground and scuffed the marble floor with her bare foot.

"Listen, I uh… I didn't mean to… to sound so…" The Prince chuckled aloud, he realised why it had been so hard for the poor girl to get a straight sentence out. His laughter increased when he heard a faint giggle come from the brunette girl. She looked up at the Prince and the pair continued laughing for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually all laughter escaped them and they stood in a comfortable silence for a moment, "Will I see you tonight?"

"I don't know" Anzu answered, "Do demons eat?"

"Of course we do…" Yami paused, trying frantically to finish his sentence without sounding like a blubbering idiot. "So I guess that means I'll see you at supper tonight, then?" she nodded.

Yami smirked, he tilted the girl's chin up with his index finger and kissed the her on the cheek. Her blush deepened more than the demon thought possible, he smiled at her and left the hallway without another word.

* * *

_((Still loyal?))_

"Seto," Tora Yuri stood in the doorway to his room, she didn't bother asking permission to enter, she shut the door behind her and headed over to the window.

"Did you want something?" The Warlord asked without looking up, he felt his papers far more important than the demon who had invaded his room.

"Will you fight for me?" She asked, staring out at the horizon.

The Warlord thought for a moment, "Yes," he replied.

"Good, I may need you, it appears that the Prince is infatuated with Solomon's granddaughter,"

"For the love of-"

"Watch your language," Tora Yuri corrected, "Say nothing to him, act as though you don't know, we'll watch him, our job here is to make sure the angels don't get to him before we do, if we play our cards right we may just get an angel as well as the Prince," the Demon Queen chuckled to herself. "Is your answer still yes?" she asked.

Kaiba nodded.

"Good… Akunadin would be glad to have such a dutiful son…"

"Your assuming I'm agreeing out of a sense of duty," Seto pointed out.

Tora Yuri smirked, "Why else would you agree to help me?" She left her position at the window and crossed to the doorway, she paused momentarily and looked as though she was about to say something, but thought better of it and left, closing the door behind her.

* * *

_((Prejudice? Or honesty?))_

"Isis! Isis open the door! Open the door, Isis!"

Silence.

"Isis! Open the door!

Silence.

"Isis! I know you're in there! Open the door!"

Again, silence.

"ISIS! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Finally the faint sound of footsteps coming from inside the room could be heard, then the door opened a fraction, just enough so that Isis could make herself heard without yelling.

"I have no desire to speak to you right now, Bakura." She went to close the door but the male demon, not having been heard out, thrust his arm in between the door and its frame, preventing the woman from closing it.

"Let me speak," he continued without waiting for her answer, "What did you mean when you gave me that warning? Months ago, before a decision was passed on the peace treaty, what were you referring to specifically?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, come back when you've thought up a more compelling way to waste my time." Isis went to shut the door but her efforts were foiled by the warrior, who still had his arm in the way.

He sighed with frustration, "Damn woman, just tell me, what did you mean?"

Isis gave up trying to shut him out, she opened the door and faced him, he was wearing a black cloak, the uniform of the Demon Queen's elite forces. The thought of that wench made the seer's blood boil, "If I answer you will you leave me be?" she snapped.

"Fine,"

The demons made sure no one was watching, then Isis quickly pulled Bakura inside her temporary residence and quietly closed the door.

"What did you mean?" Bakura repeated.

"I can't be entirely sure what specifically the prophecy was speaking of, but I suspect it was making reference to your new alliance with the Demon Queen."

Bakura slamed his fist against the nearest wall and shouted "Damn it Isis! Keep your vendettas out of this! Just tell me what the bloody prophecy meant!"

"I am telling you Bakura," Isis flinched at the warrior's initial outburst, but she gathered her wits and stood her ground against him, "You may not like to admit that your new friend is bad news, but she is. She's been nothing but trouble since she first came to court, and she will throw away her alliance with you the second she finds a better one!"

Both were silent. Isis' words echoed in the male demon's head, he knew this already - so why was it just now affecting him?

"If that's all you wanted…" The woman trailed off, inviting the other demon to announce his exit.

But he didn't, he stood motionless.

"Bakura…" Isis went to place a hand on his shoulder, but he shoved her away.

"Is that what the prophecy meant?"

"Pardon?"

"Is that what the prophecy meant?" He asked, louder this time.

"I think it is, I think it was warning you to be weary around her, that an alliance with her will be your downfall, that you should not trust her because she's not telling you everything…" The seer trailed off, hoping in vein that he would leave.

The legendary warrior thought for a moment, he watched the female demon shift uncomfortably and fidget with her dress, "You know something I don't," he concluded.

"No, I don't! Don't be ridiculous!" Isis answered a little too forcefully.

Bakura grabbed her by the shoulders, "What do you know that I don't?"

Isis struggled, "Let me go!" She shrieked unintentionally and flinched at the edge in her own voice, the male demon released her and she sat on the edge of her bed. "If I tell you, you must not tell anyone else, if she thinks I know she will come after me."

"You fear her?" he asked scornfully.

"With good reason, she is far stronger than me, I cannot win a fight against her,"

"Just tell me." Bakura snapped impatiently.

Isis exhaled heavily, "The Demon Queen has already forged another alliance, this time however she has allied herself with a family member, I think he is the only family she has left…"

"That's impossible! She's far too old for any of her family to have survived, and she has no children."

"That, Bakura, is where you are mistaken, it is true that she has no children, but Akunadin did have a child, a son. He kept his son's paternity hidden during the war so that no one would go after his son to get at him…"

"Yes, but who is his son?" The warrior asked, he was becoming frustrated with listening to the seer's tales, he wanted facts.

"Bakura, you must understand that-"

"Who is his son!"

"Kaiba Seto."

In one swift movement Bakura had flexed his wings and was flying down the hallways, he was on the hunt.

"Bakura!" Isis called fruitlessly after him.

* * *

_((Is this the end?))_

The Demon Queen stood with her back to Kaiba's door, she turned as she heard a demon approaching, she recognised who it was immediately.

"Bakura," she addressed the demon.

He was quite a sight to behold, his wingspan was massive, he couldn't completely stretch his wings out in the hallways. His wings, like all demons were black and leathery, with one sharp claw at the joint in each wing, the ends were frayed and scarred, the mark of having fought in many battles. His bare chest and black pants were showing under his cloak, he was a terrifying creature, able to strike fear into the hearts of even the strongest of opponents.

But none of this mattered to Tora Yuri. She simply stared at him with distain, she was still bitter over his treatment of her earlier, she was about to leave when he spoke.

"Why didn't you tell me he was your son?" Bakura demanded.

"Because you didn't ask," she replied smugly.

It was this smugness that drove the legendary warrior over the edge, he flexed his claws and lunged at her, determined to have her head as his prize.

* * *

-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-

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Reviews:

Kayrana- The referrence to sealed fates will become clear later, I've got that part all planned out in my head... Hmm... I'm getting to it... Yes, I can honestly say that I did rather enjoy reading the babble you left for me, it gives me something to do when I can't write.

* * *

TK: Yay! Updating somewhat quickly again! W00t! Have just finished getting all my old files off my computer and was feeling rather inspired to write, so here you go! Please review, I want to get four reviews before I post the next chapter, which I've already started, so please review!

SK: R'n'R... I really need to find something else to say...

TK: Later!


	16. Table games

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_More is revealed_

_but there is more still to come,_

_now they must brace themselves_

_for abundances of knowledge are on the horizon.

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-

Chapter sixteen

* * *

_((Family now?))_

Kaiba Seto hurried down the hallway, he had heard the whole fight from inside his room and had wanted to go out and join it, but his wife had come screaming into his room and refused to leave it again. The Warlord had calmed Mai down, but by the time she was happy to leave the room again the fight had ended and both demons had been helped back to their rooms, which happened to be across the hallway from each other. Solomon had offered to arrange for different rooms for the pair, but the Empress had assured him that nothing like this would happen again during their stay.

The Warlord passed a number of ludicrously elaborate portraits and found himself at the entrance to the Demon Queen's room, he knocked and waited patiently. Ishtar Malik answered the door, Kaiba hesitated for a moment, he was probably one of the last demons that the blue eyed male had expected to answer the door.

"Let me in," Kaiba demanded.

"Not going to happen Kaiba," Malik replied smugly, "You see we're a bit busy at the moment, her royal pain-ness over there nearly got herself killed and we're trying to clean her up,"

"Precisely why I'm here," the brunette male answered sharply. Cleaning wounds was a very intimate act for demons, it was the job of one's partner, or failing that a close relative, which was exactly why Kaiba was there, he was the closest thing to family the Demon Queen had.

"Is that Seto?" Tora Yuri asked, she grunted in pain as Marik began cleaning out another deep gash.

"Uh, yes, yes it is…" the male at the door responded somewhat dumbfounded at his master's lack of rage over the revelation of her visitor's identity.

"Let him in," was her only instruction.

Ishtar Malik begrudgingly let the Warlord in and closed the door quietly behind him. Tora Yuri was seated on the end of her bed, Marik was tending to a deep wound in her left leg where a large portion of flesh had been torn away. Her wings looked even more broken than they had been before the fight, Kaiba winced, the condition of the Demon Queen's wings was his fault. He had in one of their fights torn the skin membrane from her right wing and badly broken the bone, which had rendered her flightless and once it healed up had left a bend in her right wing.

"Malik, fetch more bandages, and inform the Empress that I will be at supper tonight as planned, but I won't be staying for dessert. Marik, keep an eye on that girl the Prince is so fond of, see if you can identify who her friends are," Tora Yuri winced as she shifted to a more comfortable position.

Malik protested, "But your wounds-"

"Just go," She cut him off. Both Malik and Marik bowed and left the Demon Queen and the Warlord alone.

Kaiba laughed to himself, "We've been here less than twenty-four hours and you've already tried to kill someone, how incredibly civil,"

"He attacked me, I acted in self defence." Tora Yuri stated and began cleaning out the gash on her leg that Marik had left unfinished.

Seto, quite hesitantly at first, picked up a piece of cloth which had been soaked in warm water and the ointment Marik had been using to prevent infection. He climbed onto the bed so he was seated behind the Demon Queen and began cleaning the injuries on her back and her wings.

Tora Yuri chuckled to herself, "I wonder, are you doing this because you feel obliged to because you are family, or because you feel guilty?"

"I'm doing this because I'm not going to loose another parent while we're here," Seto answered emotionlessly and continued his work

After hissing in pain the female warrior continued, "I'm not really your parent, I'm only your stepmother, your real mother died in the war… Akunadin never said a bad word about her, he respected her very deeply for raising you on her own."

"I know you're not my genetic mother," he paused as he mulled over all the thoughts he'd had about this topic since he'd found out, "But you are my stepmother, that's still family."

"I see…" Tora Yuri suddenly screeched in pain as her stepson ran the cloth through one of her cuts, "There's something in that one," she whispered through gasps.

Kaiba took a closer look and found the culprit, he pulled out s small splinter like object; it was half the length and width of his thumb, but was completely covered in blood and flesh which made it impossible to determine exactly what it was, he handed it to the Demon Queen who just laughed.

"That bastard left half his claw in my back…" she muttered to herself and carefully placed it on a table near her bed, "I think I'll hang on to it,"

"Why?" the Warlord questioned, it made no sense in his mind to hold on to something so useless.

"Why?" ToraYuri repeated his question, "Because he nearly killed me, had the Empress not arrived when she did he would have had my head, do you know how long it's been since another demon nearly killed me? I haven't been so challenged since the war, actually since I fought you…" She trailed off, recalling with an unnerving fondness a few select accounts on which the pair encountered each other in battle and what the outcome had been each time.

Further reminiscing was prevented by a glass shattering cry which pierced the almost tranquil peace that had descended in the Demon Queen's sleeping quarters. She cackled to herself, rose from her sitting position and moved her limbs, checking for any serious long term damage, when she found that all her limbs functioned properly - albeit a little sore - she began bandaging them up, Kaiba did the same.

Another cry rang out and ToraYuri cackled even louder than before, "Serves that wretched creature right," Seto gave her a quizzical look, "They've just started trying to get the shards of the vase out of his arm," another cry echoed down the hallway, "He'll be going like this for the next half an hour, he's very verbal when he wants to be."

The Warlord thought about this statement for a moment, "How do you know?"

ToraYuri chuckled to herself, "Some things are better left unsaid…"

* * *

_((A new friendship? Maybe?))_

The Empress was the first of the demonic party to enter the dinning hall and take her place at the table. The angels were all seated, Solomon at the head of the table, with his granddaughter and grandson and the rest of his people to his left. The Empress took her seat to his right, followed by her children, then a member of the elite forces (seated there to prevent any discussions/arguments between Tora Yuri and Yami), the Demon Queen, the Warlord, his wife, and the list went on.

The conversation at the table was rather civil, Malik, who was acting as the Demon Queen's guard at dinner, noted the absence of Bakura at dinner and breathed a sigh of relief. He was beginning to become concerned at how close he was getting to ToraYuri, but their argument and now his absence was a good sign that things were returning to normal.

He looked down the table at Marik, who - like quite a few of the officials visiting - was wearing a cloak to keep his face hidden, albeit not for the same reason. He wondered how their charge was doing, she was a handful, although that was to be expected. The child was seated next to Marik and seemed to be behaving themself.

Aside from the argument that afternoon and the Prince's sudden fondness of Solomon's granddaughter, things seemed to be going rather well. As much as the warrior had enjoyed the food, he looked forward to tonight, after they followed Yami for a while he and Marik were being given the rest of the night and the next day off. It had been a while since he'd had a decent nights sleep, and was looking forward to not having to be on alert the next day.

He had been in the Demon Queen's elite forces for so long that the word 'recreation' had lost most of its meaning to him. His life was centred around carrying out her orders and assisting in her plans, it was tiring to say the least. He looked down the table and caught Mai looking suitably bored, much like himself, so he quickly devised a discrete way to get her attention.

He began moving his cutlery around so it was all in the wrong position, Mai was such a perfectionist when it came to appearances that she was bound to notice and sure enough she did. She gave him a questioning look and he proceeded to pull some of the most bizarre faces the woman had ever seen. She laughed and the pair sat back in their seats, each smiling contentedly to themselves.

Sometimes you just had to laugh at the hand you'd been dealt…

* * *

_((Musings of the damned))_

The legendary warrior sat on the railing surrounding the balcony connected to his room. His wings hung over the edge as he stared into the distance, his skin always did this if he stayed in the mortal realm for too long, and apparently here too, since that morning it had faded at least three tones. His scar was almost invisible against his new skin tone, he was relieved when he had been walking down a corridor earlier and a couple of demons were experiencing the same thing with their skin and hair.

But it still bothered him, it made him look more like his brother, which disgusted him.

He observed the night sky, it was far more colourful than in the demonic realm, it had hints of purple and green and blue and mixed in together. The legendary warrior never thought he'd see their sky, during his entire life this was the last place he thought he'd ever end up. But here he was…

He stretched his wings, he would be moving soon, he knew the Demon Queen would come looking for him here. And he wasn't in the mood to fight her again, she had gone easy on him earlier, she knew he would not kill her until she fought him with everything she had. He hated killing opponents that were not a challenge.

He wore only a pair of black pants - partially because the weather here was unnervingly pleasant and partially because he was convered in open wounds that he hadn't bothered to dress. He rose from his sitting position and thought about subjects that didn't usually cross his mind while he stretched. Such as his family, in particular his brother, his past, and most surprisingly, his future. The demon wondered if it were just folly to imagine a life like the one he had known before his village had been destroyed. He wondered if his family had been spared, would his existence be different.

To start with he wouldn't have become a legendary warrior, a mythical being, something that wasn't even real to most. He would still live in a secluded corner of the demonic realm with his family, he would probably have become a farmer, or a builder. The male demon would never have learned to fight, he would never have gotten as involved in the war as he had been. He would never have gained the skills to become a mercenary, and would never have been hired by Akunadin to eradicate one of Akunamukanon's units.

He would have never laid eyes on the Demon Queen for the first time as she stood by Akunadin's side. And would have never gone so far as to wonder what she was hiding under the black cloak. He would never have gazed into her envious green eyes and thought for a fleeting moment, that he had found someone who bore more rage inside themselves than him.

And he would never have been shown their demise.

* * *

-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-

* * *

Reviews: 

Kayrana- I like your equation, very nice! I just realised you've been reviewing this story almost from the begining, THANK YOU! Must be tedious XD Anyway... Yes... Many thanks!

BlackPanther17- Fear not! I hate how badly Anzu is portrayed sometimes... I really don't think she's such a bad character, just really porly written... So no I won't be turning her into a friendship freak. On another note, I think calling ToraYuri creepy is a compliment... I kind of wanted her to be... She gets worse, I have this scene with her and other parties(remaining nameless) playing in my head that I'm DYING to write, it's disturbing... Very... Haha... Inscest vibes? Interesting... Gives me ideas... MWAHAHAHA!!!

* * *

TK: So much for four reviews... Anyway... 

SK: R'n'R!

TK: Later!


	17. Ballad

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_The next prophecy has been delivered,_

_It tells of things long past,_

_Many are in danger_

_And soon one will die._

* * *

-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-

Chapter seventeen

* * *

_((Felo De Se.))_

The entertainment had begun, it's purpose was to celebrate the arrival of the demonic party and to welcome them to a realm that was the exact opposite of their own. Everyone at dinner had been moved to a small arena designed for theatrical events, there was a flat semi-circle with raked seats spreading outwards away from it. This area was separated only by a few blinds from the dining table.

Bakura sat on a windowsill - too high up to be spotted by anyone - and watched as everyone took their seats. The Empress and Demon Queen were seated next to each other, with the Prince next to his mother and the Warlord next to his stepmother. How ironic, perhaps this was why the Demon Queen had wanted to usurp the throne so badly, to place Akunadin's son in power. But that sounded too out of character, too generous for such a callous being. What was she planning?

The warrior watched as everyone took their seats and silence fell over the crowd. Solomon announced the entertainer and allocated servants dimmed selected torches to cast more light on the stage.

"This should be interesting…" The warrior muttered to himself as he observed the Demon Queen whisper something to her stepson.

* * *

"I'm going to seek out Bakura after this, do not follow me, it would be too conspicuous." Tora Yuri resumed her interested pretence and watched as the entertainer began by going through an acrobatic routine.

He was a small being, his face hidden behind a mask, half white and half black. The black half was grinning sardonically and the white smiling pleasantly at the crowded auditorium. They wore a large red hat with feathers of every colour and a black and white costume with red shoes. Once he had finished his acrobatic routine he bowed and stood for a moment in the centre of the stage. The entertainer spoke in an almost feminine voice, he swept his gaze briefly over the audience, as if to identify who was there and then animatedly began to tell his story.

"I'll tell you a story,

I'll tell you a tale.

It happened only yesterday,

It started in a jail.

It began with a young girl,

Sitting in her cell alone,

Until a single visitor

Caused her execution to be postponed."

As he spoke the entertainer conjured up small transparent puppet like images of the characters in his story, waving his hand over them to make them move according to the actions he had spoken.

"She thanked her hooded hero,

And was about to be on her way,

When the hooded figure unveiled himself,

And asked her if she'd stay."

The audience responded with a wave of 'awww's and 'how cute's as the two main characters, the girl and the hero embraced.

"What the hell is going on here." Tora Yuri hissed.

Kaiba looked over at her, she was clenching her fists so hard it was drawing blood from her palms, "What do you mean?" But he received no response.

"She looked over with eyes of green,

And him with eyes of red,

And then without a second thought,

Began to nod her head.

So the pair began to travel,

And began to fight.

She took up arms to defend her hero

For his definition of right.

Warriors from near and far,

Flocked to join his force.

He organised his growing army,

As fate took it's course."

"This can't be," Tora Yuri hissed.

"What?" The Warlord snapped, quite sick of her interrupting the entertainment.

"Can't you see what this moron is doing?" Kaiba shook his head.

The Demon Queen began shifting uncomfortably, "Keep listening then, you'll remember this next part."

"From out the warring battle ground,

The Warlord did arise."

Kaiba stared in shock. This was impossible, only a select few people knew about this, and the entertainer before him was not one of them. He suddenly realised why the Demon Queen was so tense.

"And with his own two clawed hands,

Took her wing for his prize."

"No…" Kaiba whispered as he helplessly watched the story continue.

"She fled the war ridden country,

She regrouped and fell back,

She slowly but surely regained her health,

Her dreams had begun to crack."

At this point the entertainer's images all suddenly shattered and fell in a barrage of light fading as it hit the ground. He conjured up new images, slightly different from the originals, but still recognisable as the characters, obviously to denote that a long period of time had passed.

"When finally she did return,

She was greeted with quite a surprise,

Her red eyed hero had been sentenced to death.

Her anger began to arise."

He waved his hands and a whole scene was created, a solitary figure was walking through what was obviously a battle field, people were being slaughtered but it didn't faze the figure, they just kept walking.

"From that day forth she was never the same,

Covered by a hood her face was unseen.

She now stalks the battlefield looking for a fight.

Carrying they legendary title: Demon-"

"Enough!" Tora Yuri shouted and rose from her seat. She stormed out of the auditorium.

* * *

_((Perfection, not just the garden...))_

"Quickly! This way!" Anzu half shouted and half whispered as she pulled Yami along behind her, clinging to his wrist to stop him from falling behind. The pair had snuck out in the middle of the entertainer's performance, they laughed to themselves as they gleefully fled the crowded dinning hall and auditorium for a more solitary space.

"Where are you taking me?" The Prince asked as he ran behind the angel, he had no problem keeping up with her, with years of training behind him he found this pace rather leisurely. "You'll see when we get there!" She said excitedly and stopped suddenly in front of a pair of large white doors. They were intricately decorated with detailed carvings of vines creeping around the edges and fields of beautiful flowers in the centre.

Anzu opened the door as quietly as possible and pushed Yami through it before closing the doors behind them.

The Prince examined the courtyard he had been lead to. It was beautiful, it looked completely surreal - he had never seen such perfection. There was a small pond in the middle of the courtyard surrounded by lush green grass and fragrant flowers of all different shapes and colours. There was a path wide enough for the pair to walk through the small paradise until they reached a small picket fence, the Prince noticed that on the other side of the fence, although still beautiful, the world was not quite as picturesque. This was obviously on the bottom floor of the angel's head building. As past the fence was a less kept garden, with large towering trees and small benches almost completely covered with creeping vines.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Anzu noticed the demon's reverence for the place.

"Yes…" He trailed off, "I didn't think such a place could exist…"

The angel led her companion towards the pond, "My mother had it built after she was released, she wanted a place to spend time with my brother and I."

"Released? From where?"

The brunet girl looked away, somewhat embarrassed by the question, "She was captured during the war… By your people…"

"Oh…" Was all the Prince could manage for a while, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Anzu brightened immediately, "She came back completely unharmed."

"Where is she now? I noticed that only your grandfather, your brother and yourself were there to officially greet my people."

"She… She died… She got sick soon after she gave birth to my brother and died…"

"I didn't mean-" the Prince was cut off. He was beginning to wonder if this had been such a good idea after all, he seemed to keep bringing up delicate topics completely unintentionally.

"It's fine. Really. She was happy when she died, I guess that makes me not quite so sad about it." The girl paused for a moment, "I've always been curious about demons, tell me about your people."

"What about them?"

"Well… How does your heirachy work, I notice you have too female leaders…"

Yami took a deep breath, "One of them is my mother, the Empress, usually the Empress rules with the Demon King - that was my father - but he died a few years ago, so my mother has been ruling on her own. The other woman is the Demon Queen, she's the strongest female demon at present, she can be challenged for her title by any other female demon and if defeated, the challenger gains the title."

"How odd…" the angel appeared to be lost in though, but she was quick to begin asking questions again, "So what about the other demons with you, the one who always seems to be with the Demon Queen, and the one she fought in the hallway, who are they? And the blonde woman who travels with you, who is she?" The angel had sounded a little too snappish at the end of her statement and attempted to correct it, "I mean, I assume she is family of yours? Or perhaps a close friend? I didn't mean to sound like… Well, like I thought that… um…" She grinned sheepishly in a failed attempt to hide her embarrassment.

The Prince just smiled amusedly, "The blonde is Mai, she's my cousin, and married to the Warlord, Seto Kaiba - I presume he is the one you noticed that spends a lot of time with the Demon Queen. And the demon she fought in the hallway is Bakura, he's a powerful warrior - I think he was a mercenary during the demonic civil wars… I don't know much about him… But then, no one really does…" He paused momentarily, then his lips curled into a smirk, "Now tell me about your people."

"What do you want to know?" The angel asked.

"Everything."

* * *

-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -o-u-t-

* * *

Reviews:

Kayrana- Ah, again my loyal follower has left me words of praise! Yuugi is Anzu's brother, I probably should have made a note of it again, but he wasn't a main character in the last chapter, so I didn't bother restating the relationship... My bad... Well, hope you're still enjoying it!

* * *

TK: Please review! I'm getting so close to a character death IT'S NOT FUNNY! But I still want reader's feedback, I'm always paranoid I'll write a chapter that doesn't fit in with the rest of the story and no one will understand it and I'll get hateful reviews... So... er... review? Please?

SK: R'n'r

TK: Later!


	18. Death of a dream

_In a time where so much is unknown to mankind,_

_it is hard to believe that places beyond the here and now exist,_

_but they do, _

_places where wars are raged and battles are fought,_

_and people are killed,_

_they do exist, and I will tell you their stories..._

_Death is upon them,_

_Death and destruction._

_All hope for peace is gone,_

_Darkness is all tha remains..._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -O-u-t-_

Chapter Eighteen

* * *

_((Prelude to disaster.))_

The room looked to be completely empty, the only life was the shadow of a demon - and the figure the shadow was connected to. She threw back the blankets on the bed to find an assortment of personal belongings pilled up to create the appearance of a sleeping body.

"Damn it, Bakura! I will find you!" ToraYuri hissed, the warrior had evaded her for now. She stepped out onto the balcony and flexed her wings. They were so badly damaged that she was unable to fly, but she could use them to glide to the ground, which is exactly what she did. "You can't hide from me for long, I'll find you, and when I do…" The demon queen trailed of and chuckled softly as she felt her feet hit the ground.

* * *

_Bakura, _

_By the time you receive this I will have already departed for our realm, I'll be spending the next few months away. I wish you all the best, I hope that Isis has not poisoned you against me, I know she gave you a prophecy months ago that she believes to be warning you of me. You must believe me when I tell you she is wrong. Isis has her own motives, I don't know if you have noticed, but she has always been very fond of you, and recently that fondness seems to have grown to be a passionate attraction aimed in your direction. I would implore you not to act on this, I can't tell you anymore at the moment than this, wait for me to return to court, I will explain everything. _

_I can honestly say I regret having ever enlisted you in the elite forces, I've put you in a horrible situation. While the last thing I ask is forgiveness, I do want you receive me well when I return to court, do not cast me away as I well deserve._

* * *

_((Part I - Order.))_

"Hold your positions." Malik instructed as he watched the Prince closely, one false move and they'd hit him rather than their target. Idealistically they'd wait until they had a clear shot but if they didn't act soon they'd miss their chance all together. An alliance between the two races would be disastrous, and Malik couldn't allow that to happen - he was risking his life, yet again, for someone else.

"Malik, who exactly gave us these orders?" Marik uttered almost silently as he watched the Prince, grimacing at the sight before him.

The former kept his eyes on their target as he answered, equally silent, "Who do you think?"

"Well, I know… But this… This just doesn't seem like something she'd want done… Particularly by someone else…" Marik winced as he felt a twig jab him in the side. He was hidden among the overgrown forestry just outside the angel's head quarters with a small group from the elite forces lead by Malik, who raised an eyebrow at his brother's statement.

"Why would she not want us to take out the biggest threat to our way of life?"

Rearranging himself as quietly as possible so that he wasn't the victim of an onslaught from the sticks they had so conveniently decided to hide among Marik presented his argument with an eloquence so astounding the rest of the hunting party were left dumbfounded.

"If we complete this task then the demonic party will have to evacuate the realm immediately and the war will continue as it had been going. However the Demon Queen will be the prime suspect in it all, and will probably suffer the same fate as Akunadin, and she must know this, there is no way she couldn't, she has so carefully thought through every plan to date, why would she suddenly overlook such an obvious detail? So if the Demon Queen didn't give this order then someone else did, which means that the elite forces is going beyond it's call of duty by taking down this target. That, in turn, means that it could be argued that the Demon Queen is no longer in command of the elite forces, and if she's not in command, who is?" Marik looked questioningly at Malik, who after a moment of defeat quickly picked up where he had left off.

"I only know what I'm told, and what I was told was to take out the target and then get the hell out of here."

Seeming to revert back to his former self Marik sighed as he pinched his leg, which had developed a nasty case of pins and needles, and shifted his position again.

"Malik… What's going on? When did the Demon Queen give those orders?"

"Right before dinner." Malik responded coolly, "She got up to make sure the charge was okay, and then sat back down again, you must've seen her do that? She told me as she was returning to her seat, she made up some excuse about stretching her legs."

The second in command sighed again, louder this time, it was true that the Demon Queen had done exactly what his brother had recalled. But it was so unlike her to make such an unwise and rash decision.

"THERE!" Malik shouted. There was a cracking noise, and then silence.

* * *

_((Part II - Anger.))_

Bakura walked silently through the forest outside the head quarters, his mind was heavy with thoughts, most of them negative. He stopped and leaned against a tree, he could feel the bark irritating his pale skin, but he didn't really care at this point. The Demon Queen was after him, again. Not that it was really surprising, he had spent his whole life being hunted, first by the people he stole from while he lived in a poor village on the outskirts of the demonic realm, then by Akunamkanon's soldiers during the civil wars, and now by the Demon Queen.

He couldn't help but let out an agonised laugh at the irony of the whole situation. It was during the civil wars that he had first encountered the Demon Queen, as Akunadin's champion, Akunadin had hired him as a mercenary and was discussing his wages, as had become ritual for them, the Demon Queen was by his side. She had performed the function of an attack dog for him, bitting anyone who looked like they wished him harm. The title was rather fitting 'attack dog', as she still performed that function, she just had nothing to protect…

If she found him there was a distinct possibility that she would kill him, Bakura felt an odd sensation about his situation, peace. He was at peace with the fact that he could be taking his last breaths alone in the angelic realm. It was an odd feeling, never before had he felt quite this comfortable with impending doom, something he had encountered frequently throughout his life.

He had lived a long life, he had made many accomplishments, he had never had children, but that didn't really bother him now. His family line would die with him. His brother was far too weak to have ever produced offspring to carry on the family, so the task had been left to Bakura. Who had evidently failed, but more than made up for it with his lengthy list of achievements during his centuries spent terrorising anyone that stood to oppose him.

He pushed off the tree on spotting a pair of beings enjoying a rather intimate moment. At first he thought it a fine time to wreak havoc upon their fairytale encounter, but after a moments deliberation he concluded that wreaking havoc was not the best option here, because one of the beings was the Prince, and the other was Solomon's granddaughter.

The white haired demon stood, dumbfounded and disgusted at the scene before him. What irony had he lived to witness?

A familiar scent drifted past, the Demon Queen had found him. The legendary warrior had a decision to make - he could stand and die, or retreat and live to see the two races united. Bakura chose to face his fate.

The Demon Queen emerged from among the dense forestry, the pair stood for what seemed to be an eternity, neither one moving, their eyes locked.

In an instant Bakura felt himself forced backwards into the tree, the Demon Queen's claws pressing on his throat, threatening to tear open his flesh. Again the pair froze, neither one initiating any movement, instead the both demons gazed with intensity into the other's eyes, searching for an answer questions that never left their lips.

They were both still covered in wounds from their earlier fight, on impact some of the injuries had begun to bleed again, badly. The demons remained frozen, covered in blood, each silently demanding a response of the other.

"Why?" Tora Yuri finally spat. "Why did you just wait? You knew I'd find you. Why?"

"Why, indeed." Bakura retorted, wincing slightly as the female demon pushed him harder against the tree.

"Do not fuck with me." She hissed, her words penetrating the core of his being.

Bakura spoke, his voice free of any trace of anger or venom, "Now is hardly the time to fight." He motioned with his head towards the Prince.

"I know," she replied, almost ruefully, "I didn't come here to fight. You'll also notice the presence of the elite forces and their possession of a gun."

"But guns are forbidden…" It dawned on the warrior what was about to take place. "You… You ordered this?" He fought the urge to strangle the other demon then and there.

Tora Yuri sighed, releasing Bakura from her grip, "No… I didn't…"

He cradled his wounded shoulder as he continued to push for a straight answer, "So what the hell is going on then? What is all this crap about?"

"THERE!"

Crack.

"NO!" Tora Yuri shouted, she shoved a small piece of paper into Bakura's hand, she kissed him lightly on the cheek and they shared one last fleeting glance as she raced off towards the noise.

* * *

_((Part III - Betrayal.))_

Yami and Anzu parted lips to breathe, both of them blushing furiously as their eyes met. They stood in the middle of a serene garden, the sky was an awe inspiring sight, a divine combination of blue, green and purple which cast a gentle glow over the entirety of the realm.

Anzu deftly brushed her hair out of her face, "What if someone catches us?"

"What if someone doesn't?" Yami smirked confidently, caressing the brunet beauty's cheek and watching contentedly as she sighed and leaned into his touch. He couldn't help but feel that he held in his arms the only being that had ever made him truly happy, his expression became downcast at the thought of losing his new found salvation.

"What's wrong? I didn't mean that I don't want to spend time with you, I do!" She exclaimed a little to loudly and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, waiting to see if anyone stirred.

When nothing changed the pair relaxed, "I… I've never felt this happy… That's not to say I've never been happy, I have. I mean, I was quite happy as a child and- well, what I meant was that I've never been this kind of happy before…" Yami stuttered ineloquently and turned away to hide his embarrassment.

Anzu smiled gently, understanding the Prince in spite of his inarticulate explanation, "Let's just enjoy tonight."

The angel took a step backwards to admire her lover. She had never been one to fall head over hells in love, but she and Yami and instantly connected. It was as though they were bonded by some invisible thread.

"THERE!"

Yami felt a sudden impact to his stomach and was winded as the weight of another being pushed him to the ground.

Crack.

It took him a few seconds to return to reality from his dazed state, when he did the Prince found himself covered in blood. He panicked for a moment, "What's going on?" He demanded.

"I'll explain it all later. Get out of here." He looked up to find the Demon Queen lifting herself off of him, she was covered in blood as well, what was going on?

"What's going on? Anzu?"

"Get out of here Prince." Tora Yuri demanded.

Something was definitely not right, "Anzu? ANZU!" He shouted, no response.

"I'm sorry Prince," the Demon Queen paused, "Get him out of here! And keep him quiet." Instantly elite forces emerged from the forest and grabbed Yami, he was out numbered, his struggles were in vain, and his agonised cries were muffled by a demon's hand.

"Malik." The summoned demon sheepishly approached his commander. "We'll talk later, get her out of here. I'll leave further instructions for you when I'm ready." With that the Demon Queen fled the scene, disappearing into the darkness.

Marik stood behind his brother and looked back at the girl. She looked like a broken porcelain doll, her face frozen in it's last mortal expression, that of shock and betrayal. He wondered what her final thoughts were, whether somewhere in her innocent head she blamed the Prince for this. Out of respect he gently closed her eyelids to shield her fragile blue eyes from the harsh reality they had left behind. There was no point trying to save her, she was already gone. Anzu was dead.

* * *

_I cannot say anymore than this without putting both our lives in serious danger. I will explain everything when I return. You have my word._

_Tora Yuri._

* * *

_-B-l-a-c-k-e-d- -O-u-t-_

* * *

TK: So... That only took... FOREVER to post... Sorry, I started uni this year and have finally got all my stuff sorted out, in rather exciting news, I'm doing a major in writing! Which makes me feel a little guilty, because I don't think the standard of this story is the best at times... Ah well... I hear it's against the rules to respond to reviews in chapters now, which saddens me GREATLY, so I'll reply on my profile page instead, it would please me greatly if you went and read them, as I do love communicating with reviewees! And just to clarify, this story will not be discontinued, for so long as I continue to get reviews, I may be tardy with posting chapters, but I WILL finish this story... One day... I think this chapter was a little shorter than usual, hope no one was too devistated with the outcome XD

SK: R'n'R

TK: Later!


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